October Academy

Chapter 29

"Is this the part where you kidnap me?" I laugh, approaching Callum at the boundaries of school.

He takes off his helmet. "And lock you in a tower till your hair grows so long I can climb it?"

"Oh no, the horrors," I fake shriek. "Where are we going?"

"Surprise," he smiles, passing me a helmet. He gestures for me to take a seat behind him.

I pull myself onto the bike, holding onto him tightly. We drive down the mountain, where October Academy hides at its peak. We drive through town, past all the main shops, past the Nine Lives, past Gladys' neighbourhood.

Where is he taking me?

Just on the outskirts of town, he pulls up to what appears to be an abandoned carpark. Beyond the tall trees, I can see a small building, then nothing beyond it but grass and fields. If he wasn't smirking so much, I would think maybe he is taking me to the middle of no where to axe me.

Finally, I notice a sign as we pull into the parking lot: 'Carver Golf Course'.

"We're going golfing?" I ask.

"They're closed on Thursdays, so we have the whole place to ourselves."

"We can't just break in," I laugh uneasily, but also kind of thrilled by the idea.

"No, it's my adopted families."

Callum Carver, that's right.

We take off our helmets and walk up to the small building. "I didn't know you were adopted," I ask carefully, not sure where his limits are.

"Yeah," he smiles, "The Carvers are some of the nicest people I know."

"You took their last name?"

"It suited me more than my real one. Besides, I wanted nothing to do with my past."

I look down, wondering if I knew my past at all how different things would be. "Do you know who your real parents were?"

"Crack heads," he breathes. He focusses on unlocking the door of the building. The door opens, letting us into a small lobby area. "I'm sorry about what happened last night. Marina just meant it as a joke, but either way, I know it must have hurt."

I sigh, looking down at the ground. "I shouldn't have been so dramatic."

"No, I understand. I've known grief too."

I don't want to press him any further.

Callum turns on the lights then walks me to a back room with golf clubs and balls. He grabs a few bags then sets them up for us, collecting different clubs for different occasions. I've never played golf before, so I'm definitely curious as to how this afternoon is going to play out.

"Remind me to tell you something later, ok?" Callum says.

"Why don't you just tell me now?"

"Because that'll ruin all the fun," he grins. "Let's go."

He takes my hand, grabbing a pair of keys on our way out, and taking me through another door.

In front of us is a golf cart. I almost burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Callum smiles.

"You sure you know how to drive that?"

"I was thinking you could try."

Suddenly, I'm interested. Maybe he understands me more than I thought.

I run over, getting comfortable in the drivers seat while Callum loads up the back with our golf bag things, then he comes and takes a seat beside me. "You ready?"