mistake || c.h au

|| prologue ||

|| december 27, 2011 ||

•

"You can't leave me," Tegan breathed in shock, a small tear rolling down her cheek. "You can't just get up and leave now."

"I need to, baby," Calum said softly. "I'm only seventeen, I can't do this just now."

"So am I, Calum. So am I," she whispered, wiping away another tear. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Calum said quietly, looking down at his feet.

"I'm so scared, Calum," Tegan pulled her sweater tighter around her body. "Please don't go. Don't make me do this alone."

"You won't be alone," Calum attempted to reassure, but he knew it wasn't his place to make assurances like that - especially since he had absolutely no idea if they were true or not.

"Calum, you're the one person that's supposed to care more than anyone else," she shook her head. "But you don't. Not really."

"I do care, baby, you know that," Calum sighed, raking a hand through his dark hair. "You won't be alone; you have your friends, your family. You have me - just not in the same way."

"And once I tell them?" Tegan let out a small laugh, although everything about this situation was far from funny. "They'll all get up and leave. Walk away, just like you're about to."

"No. They won't," Calum shook his head, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying too.

"Then why are you?" Tegan asked with a sigh, pausing before shaking her head. "Luke was right."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Calum's expression hardened at the mere mention of the boys name.

"You don't stick around when things get tough, do you? You walk away. You don't try. You give up. You leave," Tegan spat at him.

"That's not tru-" Calum attempted to defend himself, but Tegan cut him off

"Oh, but it is true, Calum," Tegan sighed sadly. "Because look at what you're about to do right now: walk away."

"I expected you of all people to understand," Calum began quietly, looking down at his feet and kicking at a stone on the porch. "Everyone else? No. I'm going to lose everything. I worked so hard this year, and if I get wrapped into this now, it'll all just get taken away from me again."

"Calum. You'll still be popular no matter what," Tegan looked at him. "You'll still have your football scholarship no matter what. I know how hard you worked for that; but it has your name on it. So you take it a year later, does that really matter?"

"Yeah," Calum nodded, his eyes glistened with tears that threatened to fall. "Because that isn't the way I see my future."

"So as long as you're happy, that's okay?"

"That's not what I said," Calum sighed.

"You got it your way, Calum," Tegan pulled her sleeves down over her hands, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Trust me, babe," Calum reached out, and let his finger trace down her forearm. "If any of this was going my way, neither of us would be in this situation right now."

"I know," she nodded, her voice muffled against Calum's chest as he pulled her into one last tight hug.

"I love you, y'know," Calum mumbled, pressing a few small kisses to Tegan's neck. "I never deserved you."

Tegan looked up at him. Calum couldn't stop himself from kissing her one last time, as he let his lips meet hers. She sighed contentedly against his lips, before she forced herself to pull away.

"You'll be fine," Calum whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Tegan shook her head.

"At the end of the day; you're Calum Hood, and I'm just the fuck up that got pregnant in high school."

•

so this is pretty similar to the other version but yeahh,, i hope you guys enjoyed it! i'm actually excited to write this again,, and i'm hoping it'll be a lot better ★