Callum’s POV.
“Tell me if it hurts,” Isabella said, cleaning the open wounds on my hands. I winced, but the pain quickly went away. She wrapped my hand in bandages, and patted it twice. I smiled up at her, and she began to get up, making her way to the kitchen.
Isabella's POV.
“How are you feeling?” Callum asked.“I’m—“ I stopped talking when there was knocking at the door. Elsie quickly got up, running over to it. I laughed, opening the door. Becca was there, and I let her in quickly without saying anything. There now was a completely awkward silence. The tension could be cut with a plastic knife. I looked between Callum and Rebecca. She was glaring at him, and his eyes were glued to the floor. I sighed, walking over to the fridge. I grabbed a water bottle, and placed it in front of Callum. I grabbed painkillers and put two pills in front of him. I walked away, planning to take a long shower to get rid of all the stress.
About twenty-five minutes later, I was slowly walking out of my room. I could hear Becca’s upset voice, and Callum’s hushed whispers. “No, I don’t care. You need to go,” I heard Becca. “I can’t. If I had somewhere to go, I would leave, but I can’t.” Callum whispered. “Callum, there’s hundreds of apartments in the city. Find one.” Becca said. I could see her with her hands on her hips, looking up. “What if I didn’t want to live in any other apartment? What if I wanted to live right here, right here with her?” He said a bit louder. “You scare her, Callum. You scared the both of us last night. What if it happens again, what if you hurt her worst than what you did yesterday?” Becca questioned, lowering her voice. I didn’t want to hear his answer. I walked into the kitchen, and both Becca and Callum looked at me. I sat down, folding my arms in front of me. They then looked at each other. “I won’t.” Callum said boldly. Callum turned to face me. “Are you hungry?” He asked with an award winning smile.
“Are you okay?” Becca asked. “Stop asking me. The answer will always be the same.” I said with a grumpy attitude. She let out a small laugh. The car was silent once again. I looked out the window, the setting sun illuminating the city. Nostalgia took over my body, and I was missing something, something that’s never been mine in the first place. “I heard you and Callum talking earlier,” I said to Becca. I didn’t bother looking at her; I didn’t want to see her face. “Oh.” She said after a while. “I don’t want him to leave. Not yet, at least. I need him.” I finally looked her way, not quite meter her eyes. “I know—“ Becca started. I stopped her. “I know that you think something bad is going to happen, you have every reason to. But, I really need him. I can’t explain why, but believe me. And the worst part? I’m scared of being without him. Even worst? I'm scared of being with him.” I finally looked at him. She looked confused, yet at the same time, she 100% understood.
Rebecca’s Point of View
“She’s afraid. She’s afraid you’ll hurt her,” I said, pacing back and forth. Callum was sitting on a desk in front of me, and we were in his classroom. It was almost seven in the morning and classes would start soon. Isabella would be here soon, too. “I don’t understand,” Callum said, leaning back and rubbing his forehead. “She’s lost all her trust for you. You need to prove to her that you two are capable of being together.” I looked at Callum. “But—“He began. “Shush,” I stopped him. “She keeps second guessing herself. She knows what she wants, but she’s afraid. She’s been in a rocky relationship with Chase, but she’ll always love him. She just wants somebody there for her. Sooner or later, she’s not going to want to wait anymore. No more stalling.” Just then, I could see Isabella walk into her classroom. She looked at Callum and me, and gave us a smile. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Go.” I muttered, grabbing my bag and getting ready to leave. He nodded, jumping up from the desk and walked across the hall. I left quickly, hoping Callum would tell me what happened later.
Callum’s Point of View
“Hey,” I whispered, grabbing Isabella by the waist. I bought her in for a hug, but it felt as if she was pushing away. I swooped down to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she dodged it swiftly. “Is something wrong?” I asked. I looked over her body. Her bruises were perfectly covered. I wiped my thumb over her cheek, and then examined my finger. She used makeup. “Nothing. What’s up?” She asked me, walking over to the whiteboard. I eyed her carefully, something was really wrong. “I just wanted to tell you—“ She turned around to face me. “I think Becca’s right.” She whispered. “What do you mean?” I said slowly. She was confusing me. “I heard you guys talking yesterday.” She said, looking down. “How—“ I started, but she interrupted me. “I heard everything. I think she’s right. I think we should end whatever’s been going on between us. I’m not ready for a relationship anytime soon and…” She began trailing off. “And what?” I spat. She was quiet. “I thought you wanted us together.” I said boldly. “ I did, but—“I stopped her. “You’re in love with me!” I shouted. “I was in love with the thought of being with you.” I looked at her as if she was crazy. “You’ve got to be kidding me, what is wrong with you!” I screamed. “We cannot be together, in any way,” She said with her eyes closed. She then bit her lip, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. My bottom lip quivered, and I slowly moved toward her. “I just got you back, why do you want me to lose you again?” I asked her. “I’m sorry, we don’t belong together.” She whispered, grabbing her stuff and leaving the room. I put my hands over my face, trying to take in what just happened.
The end of the day neared, and I was exhausted. I just wanted to rest. I packed my bags up, saying goodbye to the students and teachers. I walked out the exit, and saw Becca waiting for me. “What are you doing here?” I asked her. “I came to take you to Isabella’s apartment, duh!” Becca said, as if stating the obvious. She grabbed my hands. “But my car’s right—“ She opened her car door for me, pushing me in. “Shush, you can come back for it.” She said, jumping in the driver’s seat. And with that, we were off.
Moments later we arrived at Isabella’s apartment. I followed Becca up the stairs, and she opened the door for me. I walked straight into the bedroom, to see Isabella lying in bed. She was asleep, and Elsie was right next to her. I had to hold myself back from sliding in right next to her. I wanted to be able to hold her, to tell her that everything would be okay. But it would be a lie. Becca was looking at me as if I had three head. I shrugged, walking into the closet. I grabbed my bags, and started packing. “What are you doing?” She asked me. “Packing? Duh,” I said, mimicking her voice. “Why? What happened earlier?” I ignored her for a while. “Callum, if you don’t answer me I’ll wake her up and make her tell me.” She said through clenched teeth. “We got into an argument earlier; she listened to everything you said. She doesn’t want to be with me.” I said simply. “What?” Rebecca almost screamed. “Be quiet,” I whispered. I got up, taking my bags. “Where are you going to go?” Rebecca asked me. I shrugged. “I’ll have to start looking for apartments, though.” I replied, walking downstairs. “You can stay with me for three days. Then you’ll have to go.” Becca said. “No.” I said simply, and began walking. “Where are you going?!” Becca screamed at me. I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
