Crossbar | c.h

Chapter 7

Calum's P.O.V

"Another late night training," I sighed to myself as I shot the ball at the goals.

"Crossbar," a voice yelled as it hit the top of the goal.

I spun around to find Cariad sat on the bleachers. The floodlights lit up her face. Her eyes were swollen and red. I frowned as soon as I caught on that she had be crying.

"Woah, uh are you okay, Carrie?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Just peachy," she let out a shaky half hearted laugh.

"What's wrong?" I questioned her further as I say down in front of her.

"My dads an asshole who doesn't give a fuck about me or the rest of his family, you know normal teenage girl drama," she huffed, glancing away from me.

I stayed silent. What was I supposed to say?

"Like he doesn't even eat dinner with us, then he has the absolute nerve to yell at me when I ask him why. I mean I don't know when the last time we did something as a family all together," a few more tears slid down her cheeks and landed in her lap, even though she didn't look sad, she looked angry. "I'm so sick of all of this."

Her voice was barley above a whisper as she said the last part and I could feel the awkward tension between us growing thicker.

All I knew about this girl was her name and the fact that she makes the best cup of coffee I've ever tasted, and now she was telling me all her family problems.

"Ahem well- I-"

"Look sorry for coming here, I called Damian on my way down, it never occurred to me that he might be busy." she mumbled.

"Is he your boyfriend?" I asked but instantly regretted as I watched her face redden.

"Oh god no! He's my- friend I guess," she sighed.

"You guess?" I laughed at her.

"All my school friends left for university or got internships and I-" she bit down on her lip like she was trying to keep something in. "I got wrapped up in a dream that I eventually woke up from, and when I did wake up, everyone had moved on, they were gone, looking for their dream. Damian- he's the only person who didn't leave," she smiled a broken smile as she climbed over the seats and walked past me.

I caught her hand just as she brushed my side.

"Yeah?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Home probably." She scoffed. "Home, doesn't sound as welcoming as it used to."

Her hair was all tangled around her face and her lips were chapped.

"Do you wanna- um," I didn't know what to say. She looked so pissed.

"Wanna?" She laughed.

"Wanna go for a drive?" I cringed, it was the first thing I thought of. And now all I had to do was wait for the rejection-

"Yeah, I need to get away," she mumbled.

I shot my head up. Then smiled. "Seriously?"

"I need new friends," she smiled, like genuinely, for the first time since she had arrived.

-

I led her to my parked, run down, temporary, car in almost dead silence.

She smiled as she climbed in. "Do you have any CDs?"

"Like one," I fumbled with the glove compartment and grab the cd.

"This is the Glee soundtrack," she laughed as I handed her the case.

"No I just stole the case off my sister, I burned some songs onto a blank disc and didn't have anywhere to put it," I shrugged.

She smiled down at the disc before sliding it into the radio.

The first few notes of Brainstew by Green Day began to play and I could see Cariad smile out of the corner of my eye.

"My dad used to play this all the time," she laughed softly to herself.

I turned the keys in the exhaust and began to drive out of my parking spot.

On my own here, here we go.

The chorus broke out, and Cariad started muttering the words, and tapping her foot.

"Wow this does bring back some memories," she sighed happily, leaning her head back. "You ever get that with certain songs? Like the lyrics don't mean as much as the feeling you get when you hear the tune? Like certain songs will never sound the same because there's too much memory there?"

She rolled the window down and stuck her hand out.

"Yeah," I smiled.

We drove for a little while, the cd playing to fill the quiet.

"I hate this town," she whispered. "Everything is just so dull. It's like everything here has been reused a million times, there isn't one thing left here for me to discover."

"Then move," I simply stated.

She shook her head. "If only it were that simple,"

"Why isn't it that simple?" I laughed, glancing at her then the road.

She shrugged. "Nothing can be as simple as just going."

"Of course it can," I furrowed my eyebrows. "If you are going to spend your whole life assuming things are going to be hard you're never going to get anywhere. You could just pack a bag, grab as much money as you can, buy a plane ticket and leave."

She was silent as she traced the pattern of the fabric on the seat she was sat on.

"Car, are you afraid of how hard it's going to be leave, or how you're going to adjust to the change?" I asked softly.

"Being stuck here my whole life has really change the way I view the world. My comfort zone is as small as this town. Everything beyond the county boundary is exotic and different. Change is scary when you no nothing but the norm," she sighed.

Words caught in my throat as I noticed the way her face lit up in the moon light rather than got washed out. Her eyes imitating the stars, or perhaps the stars imitating her eyes.

The radio switched tracks and In Bloom by Nirvana started to play and a feeling overwhelmed me. And I knew I'd remember the girl who accepted my offer to drive around at night and who was afraid to leave and who's eyes were the muse for the solar system every time I heard it.