Room 21 - Calum Hood Punk -

Downhill

- Elena's POV - 


I hear the birds outside and yawn. I remember the events of last night and a smile forms on my face, the feeling of Calum's arm securely wrapped around my bare waist. "Morning, beautiful," I hear him mumble sleepily. "Morning, handsome," I reply, giving him a quick kiss on the nose. 
"I love waking up next to you, it's nice." He smiles playfully. 
"I love waking up next to you too," I grin. I decide to get up, so I can find something to wear and change into it. I do exactly that, feeling Calum's eyes on me the entire time. Strangely, I don't feel uncomfortable about it. Calum gets up too, slipping on some clothes from his drawers before we walk downstairs together and walk into the kitchen with him right behind . "Have fun last night?" Ashton asks, taking a sip of his coffee. Luke and Michael stand together, trying to muffle their giggles. "What?" I frown.
"It sounded like you had fun," Ashton says. Oh god. Michael and Luke burst into fits of laughter and I look up to see Calum's cheek burning red. I turn around and bury my face into his chest to hide my embarrassment. "This is so embarrassing!" I groan, still hiding my face in Calum's chest. Ashton lets out a chuckle. 


"Well I'm off to meet Kara now, see you all later." Ashton announces, leaving the kitchen. 
"We're going to the gym," Luke and Michael nod, leaving just me and Calum alone. When the door closes, I pull away from Calum. "What do you want to do today?" I smile. 
"Well..." Calum starts, grabbing my bum, "we could do a repeat of last night?" He purrs in my ear. 
"Cal," I giggle, "I was thinking of something a little more chilled." 
"We can make it chilled," he smirks, pulling me closer. 
"Cal, why don't we just sit and watch a movie?" I suggest, wriggling out of his arms. 
"Fine," he mumbles, pouting his lower lip at me. I giggle, walking into the living room with him to pick a film. We decide on 'Now You See Me', and sit on the sofa to watch it. I can feel my eyes growing heavy, and I end up falling asleep on Calum's shoulder...


*


I sit up, remembering that I fell asleep. I also remember falling asleep on Calum, but he isn't there anymore. Frowning, I get off the sofa and begin to check everywhere in the house, but he is nowhere to be seen. He must've gone out somewhere. I decide to tidy up the house a little, because I know that the boys did it a lot when I wasn't able to walk. I appreciated their help so much. I start with the kitchen, ending in the bathroom upstairs. When I'm happy with how tidy the house is, I decide the best option is to call Calum and see where he is. I look for my phone, finding it on my bedside cabinet. Picking it up, I start searching through my contacts until I find Calum's name and press the dial option. It rings a few times, until the phone is answered. "Hey Cal, where are-"


"Hello?" I'm cut off by a girl's voice coming from the other end.
"Oh, hello," I frown, "I'm calling for Calum."
"He's a little busy right now, could I take a message?" She asks.
"Why are you answering his phone again?" I question, curiosity getting the better of me.
"He's in the shower right now, just cleaning up. He got a little... Sweaty, if you know what I mean." The girl giggles, causing a knot to form in my stomach.
"Oh." I feel my heart pounding.
"So, can I take a message?" She asks me again. All I want to do is scream, cry, anything. But I can't. "Uhm, n-no thanks." I decline, hanging up. Calum had sex with someone... Why would he have sex with someone else? It can't just be because I didn't want to do it again this morning, can it? Surely he'd understand that after my stepdad, I won't want to keep doing it all the time, right?


It's then that I feel my eyes starting to well up with tears, and sigh, itching my arm. Why would he do something like this? We're a couple, he's cheating on me. I take a seat on the sofa and watch Ninja Warrior, dreading the moment that Calum gets home. I need to speak to him about this, I have to... It's going to be very interesting. My phone rings, and it's Calum, but I don't answer it. I then get a notification to tell me I have a voicemail, and curiosity gets the better of me, so I listen to it. It's her again, "hey, I'm not sure who it was that was calling. But, if by chance you know Cal's girlfriend, then tell her that I hope she knows he's fantastic, especially when he really gets going!" I feel sick to the pit of my stomach. Why did he do this to me?


*


I hear the door open and then close. "Elena?" Calum. I get up off the sofa, waiting for him to walk into the living room. "Hey beautif-"
"Don't." I cut him short, shaking my head.
"What?" He frowns. I take my phone and press play on the voicemail I got. He stands there, a look of guilt showing on his face, looking straight down at his feet. "Was I not good enough last night?" I ask quietly. I have to bite my lip to stop the tears from brimming. 
"Of course you were good enough!" He protests.
"Then why'd you do it, Cal?" I question, trying hard not to let myself cry, "was it because I didn't do it again this morning?" I add.
"N-no!" He shakes his head.
"Bullshit!" I raise my voice, causing Calum to jump, "it's either that I wasn't good enough, or because I didn't do it again this morning!"


"What's your fucking problem?" He raises his voice too. Is he serious?
"My 'problem', is that you cheated on me, Calum!" I snap.
"Boohoo," he scoffs. I watch him roll his eyes as he speaks, and I'm in complete shock as to where this has come from. "Are you fucking kidding me? It's not 'boohoo'. You betrayed me!" I shout. "Who gives a crap! You always forgive me for shit anyway!" He shouts back, sounding cocky. "You're such a dickhead. What makes you think that I'll forgive you this time?" I spit through my teeth. "Because I fucking know. You always forgive me, Elena, it's what we do! I fuck up and you forgive me!" His answer sends a jolt of rage through my body.
"It's not 'what we do', Calum! It's something that I'm sick and tired of," I snap at him.
"What a load of bull, you'll forgive me soon!" He shouts back at me.


"Don't fucking speak to me," I storm past him, going up to our room and slamming the door shut. I feel the anger leave me body and burst into tears. I hear the front door slam shut shortly after, and I know that he's just left the house. I can't believe him. Does he honestly think I'll just forgive him? I grab my songbook and sit on the bed, getting ready to write. The verses aren't hard to write. I think of all the memories we've had, what would happen if I left. I think of the girl he slept with, what might happen between them. The verses are memories and thoughts, painful ones.


The chorus is simple enough to write, because it speaks the words I feel right now. The is sad, but true. I wipe away the rest of the tears, putting the songbook under my pillow. How did thing go so downhill so quickly? I know I have to do this next thing, and I know it's going to be hard... I grab some paper and start writing the letters. 


Dear Mikey, 
Never stop being you, loud and giggly and so full of life. I won't be happy if I find out you've changed after this. I'll always remember us as partners in crime, because we were great doing sneaky stuff together. You'll always be family, like a brother I never got to have. Don't forget me, please? I won't forget you, I promise. I love you, Michael Clifford! 
Lots of love, Elena xo


Dear Luke,
I love you very much, you'll always be my favourite stylist! I still think you're secretly gay, even though you say you're not. Promise me that you'll still be just as crazy as you have always been since I've known you? You're one of my best friends, and a huge part of my family. I'll always remember the crazy stuff we got up to, because they're great memories to cherish.
Lots of love, Elena xo


Dear Ashton,
Gosh, I don't even know where to start... You've always been there for me, always taken care of me; You're my big brother, and I love you more than life itself. Thank you for always being there when I needed you to be. It's weird to admit it, but I'm glad that I got to go to the home, because if I didn't go, I'd never have met you. You're such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I'm lucky to have been in your presence. I can't believe I'm having to say goodbye to you, it feels so wrong... I hope you don't hate me for leaving, I just couldn't stay anymore. Tell Kara that I'll miss her too, yeah? Sorry for letting you down so much, Ash. I'll always remember you and the happiness you added to my life.
Lots of love, Elena xo


Dear Calum,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I always got upset. Maybe it was all my fault that bad things happened to us, maybe I caused us so much pain and heartache. I know you'll move on quick enough, you're so handsome that I'm sure you'll have a line of young ladies waiting to snap you up in a heartbeat. I'm happy to have laid eyes on you, Mr Hood, because you taught me how to love again. You changed my life for the better, even with all the bumps along the way. I'm proud to say that I love you, and I'll always love you. I hope you don't forget me, or any of our memories together. I'll always cherish them, because they're memories that I hope will get me through my heartbreak, memories that will help me remember our story. I'm sorry that I have to end it this way, but I'm holding you back from being yourself, and it's not right. I'm so sorry if I've let you down, but I promise that your next chapter will come around soon. I'm always going to be in love with the guy that saved me, even if that book is now closed.
Love forever, Elena <3


I cry as I pack my bags. I remember my guitar, and all my drawings too. When I'm done, I carry everything downstairs, holding the letter in my hands. I place them on the living room table, making sure to write their names on the envelopes, so they know which one belongs to them. After, I call for a taxi. I help the driver to load my luggage in the trunk and climb into the vehicle. "Where to?" The driver asks. I give him the destination and he sets off, leaving everything I love behind me. When he arrives, I pay him the fair and take all my things out of the boot, looking at the familiar building in front of me.


"Elena?" I turn my head in the direction that the voice came from and I smile as Leia comes out, walking over to me. "What are you doing back here?" She asks. "I was hoping that there would be a job here for me?" I smile at Leia, her returning the smile. "Well right this way! I'll find you a staff bedroom, and I'll sort everything out," she nods, helping me take everything inside. I look around the building that I got so used to, and smile. Who knew I'd be happy to be back in the home? I think about the boys, thinking about how they'll react to my letters. I hope I've made the right choice...