Stereotypes [Calum Hood AU]

Chapter 4

It took Ashton ten minutes to drive Kiara and Calum to Pennslyvania's local music store. Kiara's been working there since the summer and Luke just started a few weeks ago. Kiara got out of the car and Calum tagged along. Luke, who was with a customer by the cash register, waved. Kiara waved back and headed to the staff room to put on her work shirt. It was a black tshirt with a guitar printed on it with words across saying 'Pennslyvania's Local Music Store'. Kiara walked out and saw Calum, Luke and Ashton all talking to each other. Calum smiled at her as she approached.

"I never knew you worked here," Calum spoke, ignoring Ashton and Luke's conversation and turning to Kiara.

"Yeah," she answered. "I've been working here since July."

Kiara walked around to the cash register and stood next to Luke.

"Luke, why don't you stack some CDs on the shelf while I'll handle the cash register," she asked. Luke swiftly nodded and headed towards the opposite side of the store.

"Calum and I better get going, I have to babysit my brother and Calum's supposed to help," Ashton said. Calum narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm not supposed to help you with your brother," Calum's words were cut off by Ashton glaring at him. Ashton knew that he liked Kiara even though he probably didn't want to believe it. Ashton was helping Calum impress her. Girls love guys who love kids. Calum wasn't much of a kids person but he can tolerate Harry.

"So I'll see you around," Ashton said, tugging Calum along with him.

"Bye Kiara!" Calum waved and headed out the door. Kiara waved back. Business around the store was slow as usual. There weren't a lot of customers on Mondays except for the occasional dad buying a pop album for their daughter. And it was always the same one, One Direction. Kiara wasn't a big fan of the British boyband. Boybands were so 2000s. Kiara preferred music like Green Day and Paramore with a little bit of Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. Luke thought she had a weird music taste. For Luke, who was still stacking CDs on shelves in the back, liked the same music she does but without Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. But one day when Kiara and Luke were assigned to stacking CDs on the shelf in the back, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift came on and Luke couldn't help but shake his butt to the music. The bell atop the door dinged, signaling someone walked into the store. It was a girl around Kiara's age. The girl had ginger hair, green eyes and freckles. She smiled to Kiara and walked up to her.

"Do you guys sell any of the Ramones' albums here?" She asked. Kiara nodded and stepped away from the cash register.

"It's in the back, let me get it for you," Kiara walked her way through the back where she found Luke stacking CDs. The ginger haired girl stood behind Kiara, looking around her surroundings. Luke, who looked back at Kiara (they were practically the same height) noticed the girl behind her and instantly blushed.

"Luke," Kiara bit her lip trying so hard not to laugh, Luke obviously had a crush on the girl. "Do you have...."

"Any of the Ramones' albums. It doesn't matter which one it is," the girl answered. Luke, who was still blushing, nodded slightly and took a look around the shelves around him and spotted one of their albums. He grabbed it and handed it to the girl. She thanked him and turned around and headed towards the front of the store to pay for it. Before Kiara could join her, she nudged Luke's side. He glanced at her, she had a big smile on her face.

"So you like her huh?" She said. Luke sighed and fully turned to her.

"No Kiara, you're not setting me up with her."

"Why not?" Kiara whined sticking out her bottom lip like a puppy.

"Because any time you set up someone, they end up breaking up like the next day."

Kiara rolled her eyes,"That never happens." Even though she knows it's true.

"Go back to the front of the store before she decides to leave with the album without paying for it."

Kiara obeyed and saw the ginger haired girl waiting patiently by the cash register. Kiara went behind the cash register and scanned the CD. The ginger haired girl thanked Kiara before walking towards the main entrance.

"What's your name?" Kiara called out.

"Molly," the girl answered before exiting. Kiara also wanted to ask, "Molly, like the drug?" But decided better of it because it seemed rude. The store usually closes around nine so when no customers weren't coming in for a few hours, they decided to close the store early. David, the store manager, came in around six o'clock and packed everything up. Luke already left around seven and now it was just Kiara and David.

"You okay about locking up tonight?" He asked her. Kiara nodded.

"I need you to take out the garbage too," David nodded to the entrance of the store where a big black bag filled with trash lay. David shrugged on his coat, smiled one last smile at Kiara, and left. Sighing, Kiara went to the back and changed her shirt and slid on the one she had on earlier in the day. She grabbed the keys from the front door, held the trash bag by her fingers, turned off the lights, locked the door, headed around the building to the dumpster, hailed the bag over it and turned around to head home. Kiara was used to walking to her home alone. It wasn't that long of a walk so she decided to walk today instead of taking a bus. She could hear footsteps behind her and she turned around, no one was there. Kiara continued walking quickly until she felt a hand on her arm. She screamed and kicked the person straight in the balls. Calum bent down to hold his junk and sunk to the ground on his knees. Kiara noticed it was him and helped to remove himself off the ground.

"I'm sorry, Calum. I didn't know it was you. I thought you were some max murderer or something," she admitted. Calum groaned as he got up, his black hair sweeping in front of his eyes. Kiara had the sudden urge to fix it but decided not to.

"Really? A max murderer?" Calum asked. "At nine o'clock at night in a busy city where someone would be bound to help you?"

Kiara shrugged, feeling embarrassed now. "What are you doing here?

"I decided to walk you home since you don't have transport."

"I usually take the bus but I don't feel like going tonight." They crossed the street and continued walking.

"How was work?" Calum asked.

"It was okay, not a lot of costumers came today," She said. "Do you have a job?"

Calum shook his head. "Nah, I don't."

"Maybe you could work at the music store with Luke and I. David, our manager, says he needs one more person to help."

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm not really a job person."

Kiara pouted and kicked a rock with her foot. "So what do you like to do?"

Calum thought for a moment. What did he like to do? He hung out with Michael so much, he would say video games but video games were kind of boring to him after playing them five times in a row.

"I like writing," Calum admitted. "I've never really told anyone that before."

"Not even Michael?" Kiara asked and Calum shook his head. "I feel special."

Calum chuckled.

"What do you like to write?"

"Poems."

"Really? I never struck you as a poem type of guy."

"I don't write much but it always helps me calm down sometimes."

Kiara nodded. After talking and walking with Calum all the way home, she said goodbye to him and headed inside her home.