Car Pool {c.h.}

1.2

zipping up my coat, i tie the leash around zoe. she sluggishly follows me to the parking lot to wait for calum. his small car sat in one of the front spits, waiting for zoe and i. seeing us exit the building, the raven haired boy jumped out of the car to greet us with one of warming smiles.

"good morning esme and zoe!" calum hops up to us.

" 'morning." i smile, noticing zoe does not move for calum like usual. calum sees this too, frowning for a second.

"poor girl, she must not feel her best." the boy in front of me pouts. "we must get her there soon! i put a blanket in the back for her to lay on."

"thank you calum, you have been only helpful to me." i smile sweetly, following him to the back of his car. zoe hops into the heated car, leaving the frigid air.

"and you have only brought me happiness. thank you, emse." he opens the passenger door for me, before i clamber in, he places a soft kiss on my forehead.

the drive is silent, except to the music playing quietly on the radio. calum occasionally glancing back to my sick dog, making sure all was well. it took us forty-five minutes to make it to the vet, our town was small.

i sign in, while calum sits at a chair in the waiting room. the nurse assures me all will be okay as she leads zoe to the vet, but i was on edge.

"i'm sure little zoe here just has a slight cold of the sorts. don't worry." calum rubs my thigh, leaning closer as i become more nervous.

"it's just nothing like this has happened, my life was so simple and routined." i blab, "she's been in there forever. what if she's really sick? she's my little baby."

"esme, calm down. she didn't throw up, or do anything that bad."

"she didn't do anything! she hasn't done anything. she's not herself." i point out.

"she will be all right, zoe is in good hands." calum cooed, comforting me again.

"okay, i just need to be patient. you're right." i breath out smoothly, playing with my hands as we wait. "tell me more about your childhood."

"my childhood?"

"yeah, to distract me."

"okay, when i was just becoming a teenager i was a pro at football. or is it soccer here? i'm not sure." the brunette begins his story.

"that's america."

"oh, america. why do they have to be so different?" he questions.

"who knows?" i chuckle, nearly forgetting we were waiting on zoe.

"so, i was a pro at football, and offered to play professionally- because i was a pro at it. i went to brazil for a month, had to speak a different language and everything. came back, and decided it wasn't for me."

"that's so cool! i have never left the country. well, that's a lie. i used to be amazing at violin. not to brag, people told me this. i was asked to play to a crowd of around five hundred, in new york. that's the only time i left." i sigh, twirling my hair in my hand.

"what made you stop?" he questions, eyes wide.

"well, my sister, quinn, wasn't good at anything like that. she started throwing major fits and getting really depressed, she wanted attention. my family paid for her medical care and quit my violin lessons." i shrug my shoulders, once i was hurt by my sisters actions, but now i understand it was for the best.

"that's awful es-" cal begins to say but is cut off by the vet.

"miss emory?" the vet steps out.

"yes?" i stand up answering to him.

"your last name is emory?" calum mumbles the question.

"yes."

"hey, you learn something every day." he smiles, standing up with me and turning to the vet.

"sorry sir, do you have the news on zoe?" i look up hopefully.

"yes, i do." he sighs sadly, i lose my hope. "who is this?" his hand gestures to calum.

"this is my boyfriend, calum." i answer his question quickly, wanting to know zoe's condition.

"follow me you two." the vet leads us to one of the check up rooms, zoe lays on the table. as we enter, calum's hand brushes over the young dog'a head.

"miss emory, and mr..."

"-hood." calum fills in the blank.

"your surname is hood?" i ask the raven haired boy.

"yes." calum answers short, like me.

"miss emory, mr. hood," he addresses us both again, " i am afraid your dear zoe has fallen very ill, very quickly."

"what's the cause? can you cure it?" i begin to ramble and worry.

"the cause, an over does on strong drugs. have you given her anything? perhaps anti-depressants? that's what i believe is in her system."

"no, i do not take any medication." calum stiffens as i say this, he knows what happens, i can sense it.

"it was your sister. you just told me about her depression, does she still take the medication?" i nod in response. "she was obviously mad for whatever reason." calum's words lead to the choke up.

"to answer your other question, we can not cure her. the anti-depressants are far too strong and are already taking over your dear zoe's systems. i am so very sorry." the vet informs us. in seconds i feel as if the walls have crumbled around us and the world has fallen apart. i fall to the ground, crumbled up to the vet table where zoe lies.

"we can put her down in the next day. it's for the best." the vet leaves after saying this. my best friend was dying before my eyes and there was nothing anyone could do.

"calum?" i mumble through muffled sobs.

"yes?"

"may i have my phone?"

"why?"

"so i can call my dear sister." i spit through my teeth.

"no, fighting won't solve anything." he tells me, and i know he's completely right. "esme, we should head back home."

"home? my dog is going to fucking die!" the words come out in an angry tone. calum's puppy eyes pop out sadly. "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to be harsh."

"i know, you're in pain, scream all you want." he sits down next down to me, interlocking out hands.

"no," i wipe the tears from my eyes."you're right, let's go home."

{freakin quinn I'm gonna woop your sorry ass.
this chapter is gonna be major to the story.

Lots of love
-ssr}