scars of love

Six

I walked out the school gates on Monday morning and I felt my heart leap as I saw him, wearing his adorable smile, leaning on the lamppost. I ran up to him and he wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up and spinning me around. The other girls were staring and whispering, wondering how on earth the ghost girl managed to get a boy and why she had colour in her cheeks and was actually smiling.
I didn't care though. I noticed, but I really couldn't care. All I could see was him, and I wanted it to stay that way.

We laughed and walked arm in arm.
"How was school? How are you?" He asked me. I shrugged.
"Same old, the usual. But I'm feeling... Happy. Because I'm with you" I said, blushing. He leaned over and kissed me.
"Me too" he smiled. I grinned and we raced to the tube station.
"Where to?" I asked as we paid for our tickets.
"I thought we could go back to my place.. If you want. They're all coming over for a bit. I'll get you home by latest nine" he said.
I frowned.
"You don't need to get me back home. I'm perfectly capable returning myself home" I said, folding my arms. Calum stared me in the eyes, raising and eyebrow.
"Really? Walking through the streets in the dark? You'd probably bump into a pole. I know you, Ingrid" he laughed, tapping his finger on my nose. I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile.
"Whatever.." I sighed. He laughed.
I was a little bummed that it wouldn't just be me and him that afternoon. I started feeling nervous to see Sam again. I then realized I was sitting in my awful tartan uniform. I facepalmed.
"What's up?" Calum asked, looking up from his phone.
"I look hideous in my uniform" I sighed. Calum shrugged.
"No you don't. And who would care if you did?"
"Sam" I quipped. He rolled his eyes.
"Look, I've told you. Sam will always pick on you, she picks on everyone. If she says something completely out of line, I'll do something" Calum said, squeezing my hand.

We got to the council flats and travelled up the stairs. I tried to race Calum, but ended up almost toppling over on the steps. He laughed, helping me up.

Calum took his key out his pocket, but when he put the key in the lock, he realized it was already open.
"Mum must be home.." He said. I followed him into the small living area.
"Mum?" He called out hesitantly.
A small, elfin lady with messy strawberry blonde hair and dark eyes walked in, with a kimono wrapped around her and a cigarette between her index and middle finger. She had no makeup on, and was very petite. She looked as if she could be Calum's sister. Her eyes were hollow and tired, yet she was still beautiful.

"Hey darling" she smiled wanly, her voice crackly. 
Her eyes fell on me. I smiled nervously.
"Hello love, you are?" She asked me, rubbing her temples.
"Mum, this is Ingrid" Calum said, gesturing to me. I held out my hand and she shook it tiredly.
"Lovely to meet you. I'm Grace" she said.
I smiled politely.
She tapped her cigarette onto an ashtray on the coffee table.
"My head is killing me.. I'm going to take a lie down. If your mates come over, just try keep it down a wee bit..." She mumbled, shuffling to her bedroom in her worn slippers.
Calum smiled at me and I followed him to his room. He sat at his desk, running a hand through his curls.
"Your mum is beautiful, so young" I commented, smiling.
"Yeah, she was only about seventeen when she had me.." He said.
"Wow. My parents were about thirty when I was born" I said.
"Do you wish sometimes you had a mum?" He asked, staring at me intently. His eyes were soft and kind.
I thought about it for a second. No one had ever asked me that before. No one really asked me anything, besides Calum.
"I don't know. I've never had a mum figure in my life.. So I don't really know what I'm missing" I replied, flicking a piece of hair out my eyes. He opened his mouth to reply when we heard the door opening and voices erupting inside the small flat. I followed Calum out his room. They were all there, chatting and taking drags of cigarettes. Kezia smiled at me and Paige waved. India nodded her head. Sam was sitting on an armchair, her eyes digging into me like daggers.
"Aw, you kept her" She cooed, rolling her eyes. I pretended not to notice.
"Shut up, Sam" Calum quipped, winking at me.
"Oh c'mon. Don't get touchy Cal" she simpered, wrapping an arm around his torso. I walked over to the couch and sat down, pretending not to care in the slightest.
India and Paige sat beside me. Kezia and Caspar clattered into the kitchen and raided the fridge.
"Don't you have any drinks Cal?" Kezia whined.
"No, we ran out" he said, unpinning himself gently from Sam's claws.
"Let's go to Tracks" Caspar said, shutting the fridge.
"Yeah, let's go" Kezia waltzed toward the door. The rest of them followed her down the stairs. I waited for Calum and we linked arms.

When we got to Tracks, most of us hung about downstairs. Kezia, Sam and Jonah were playing pool and swigging from a bottle of vodka. Calum and Caspar were sitting up stairs supervising the shop and serving customers. I sat with Paige and India, playing cards.
There was an aura of mystery about Paige, her eyes looked so distant and lost. I was so curious about her and I wanted to ask so many questions, but I could tell she was a sensitive person. She already seemed so broken and fragile, I didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was.
India had scars up and down her pale arms. She was sniffing cocaine every few minutes, as well as puffing on a fag. 
I sat beside them, chatting, laughing. I was sitting in between two suffering human beings. I knew things weren't well, but I had no idea what was really happening. I wanted to know. I wanted to help them.
"Where do you guys live?" I asked hesitantly. I decided to tread carefully.
The didn't revert their eyes from their deck of cards.
"The same estate as Cal" India said, tapping her cigarette on the ashtray beside us.
"Do you have a big family? I don't, I live with my housekeeper, I don't even know where my father is. Haven't seen him in ages" I gabbled.
"I wish I couldn't see my dad in ages.." Paige mumbled, trailing off.
I decided not to pry further.
I stood up and went upstairs. Calum was sitting by the cash register, staring into space. Jonah was shelving records.
I walked up to him and waved a hand in front of him. He blinked and smiled suddenly, laughing.
"Hey" I grinned.
"Hey. Are you tired? It's almost nine, I'll take you home" He said, standing up. I shook my head.
"No.. I don't want to go home. I'll stay" I mumbled, yawning.
"It's a school night, Ingrid" he said. I rolled my eyes.
"So?"
The last thing I felt like doing was going back to my cold empty house. I knew Maria would already be stressing. I hadn't told her where I'd be this afternoon. But still, deep down, I felt careless. I had alway cared so much, about everything, and it did nothing for me but depress me further. With Calum, I felt different, new.
"Well, I know you're tired, so am I. You can come back to my place then" Calum said, grabbing his coat. We said goodbye and escaped into the cold air.
I shivered, biting my lip. My school jumper was so thin against the night wind.
Calum took off his coat and insisted on me wearing it. I put it on, kissing him on the cheek. We walked back to the estate, me struggling to keep my eyes open.

When we got into his flat, it was dark and cold. The only crack of light was shining from the moon outside the window. Calum peered into his mum's bedroom, but she wasn't there. Calum sighed with expectance. My heart pained for him, and I took no time to wrap him in a hug.
"Im here" I whispered into his curls.
"Im so glad you are" he murmured, kissing my neck. I went into his room and sat on his bed as he undressed.
"Avert your eyes Miss" he joked as he zipped down his jeans.
"I've already seen you in your boxers but okay.." I rolled my eyes before shutting them. A few seconds later I felt a pair of hands covering my eyes.
"Guess who?"
"Let me see.. Is it, Dracula?" I grinned. I pulled his hands away.
"Its Cally Wally" Calum preened, waggling his eyebrows.
"You are such a tit" I laughed. He laughed with me, cupping my hands in his.
"Here I'll find you something to wear to bed.." He stood up and started rummaging through his closet. He pulled out a large faded band shirt.
"It's the biggest shirt I have.." He held it against me. It went down to my knees. I laughed. Calum was taller than me, but this shirt was massive.
"It'll work" i took the shirt and he showed me to his bathroom. I pulled off my school clothes and pulled the shirt on over my bra and knickers. It was like a big nightie, and it smelt of his cologne. I loved it. I splashed my face with water before exciting the bathroom.
When I got back to his room, he was sitting on his bed, on his phone. He looked up and laughed.
"You look cute" he smiled. I stuck my tongue out at him and dumped my school clothes on a pile on his floor.
"What are you going to do tomorrow?" He asked me as I crawled onto the bed.
"I don't know. Can you walk me home? I can miss one day of school" I yawned.
"Yeah I can. But what about Maria?" He looked worried. "She must be stressing so much, Ingrid."
"She alway's stresses. Dont worry about her. I don't want to think about that. I just want to stay like this, with you.. Forever.." I trailed off. Calum lay next to me.
"Me too" he said. I climbed under the covers and he held me close. I watched him as his eyes seeped closed, and his breathing became steady. I waited a while and then leant over into his ear and whispered "I love you".

~~~~~~~
Sorry i took so long to update. Feel terrible, but I hope you enjoyed. I know a lot of these chapters are filler chapters, but i promise soon the story is going to happen. I just need to form a basis, and let things escalate into the climax.
Btw, the picture is how I imagine Grace, calum's mom. She's supposed to look young, haha.
Have a good one :)
Emma x