Beauty and the Beast || cake a.u.

~ t w e l v e ~

[Dedicated to @Angy101]

"I don't want to go to school today Calum," Michael whined as I tried to get him out of the house. I'd slept over again, and I'm actually surprised Mali hadn't come knocking on the door this weekend to make sure I was here. I tried dragging Michael again and he wouldn't budge, claiming his feet were glued to the floor.

"Come on, Michael. You heard your mom. You have to go to school and prove you're better than she thinks you are!" I tried to encourage him. He wasn't having it.

"Why should I care what she says? If my grades get better, she'll find another reason to hate my damn guts," he argues. I sigh, calling quits.

"Fine, I guess I'll have to tell Rylee that you really enjoyed kissing her at the party and you'd like to do it again sometime. Adios," I say, dramatically making my way towards the door. He stops me, begging me not to say anything to Rylee, and I know I've got him wrapped around my finger.

"Nope, she needs to hear it and I know the only chance to tell her is today while you're not around to stop it,"

"Fine! I'll come to school! But not because I'm going to class," Michael says.

"Yes you are, because if you don't, I'll text her,"

"Fine! Class it is! Woopty doo. If you ever invent a time machine, go back in time and tell me NOT to say hello to the guy next door," Michael groans at the end and walks out of the house, slamming the door behind him. I hope I haven't actually pissed him off and he's just playing around.

On that note, I make my way outside, joining him in the car. I put the key in and start the engine. I look over at him and see him staring out the window silently. I look around and find the aux cable, picking it up and holding it in front of me. I smile and say, "Wanna play some tunes?" causing him to turn and look at me, then the cable, before smiling and pulling his phone out of his pocket.

He puts on my favourite All Time Low song and I chuckle. We sing along loudly all the way to school, slowing down closer to the building to observe the blonde boy walking down the sidewalk. Michael stops singing and I look over.

"Wonder why he's walking to school," I say, turning to Michael, who had a weird look in his eye that I couldn't read. Probably annoyance, "I thought for sure he had a really nice car last time I saw him," Michael nods in agreement. I roll the window down, pulling up beside the sidewalk and Michael hits me, but I ignore him.

"Hey blondie, need a ride?" I shout. The tall boy with glistening blue eyes turns surprised, but smiles when he sees it's me. He rushes towards the car and gets into the backseat.

"Hey thanks! Next time I want a ride home from you I should make sure I didn't drive myself to school in my own car," Luke laughs. Well now it makes sense as to why he was walking. I step on the gas and pull back into my lane, finishing the short drive to school.

As we arrive and get out and I turn to Luke, but he's already gone, running off towards Ashton and Niall at the front of the school. Michael walks up beside me and I shut the door I just climbed out of, locking the door and looking at the blue boy beside me. "You haven't hung around with the group of them since the day I met you," I point out, remembering my first day and the small group standing around my locker.

Michael shrugs, scratching his head and looking down, "I guess you were just better company," he replies, keeping his gaze on the asphalt.

"But nobody just gets up, finds a new friend, and stops talking to their old ones within seconds. Don't you still talk to any of them? Ever?" I ask him, very confused as to why he'd just pick up and act as if he was never friends with the group.

"They were never my friends," wait, what?

"I went over to their group on the first day of school in an effort to befriend them, considering my best friend - um, considering I moved away from my best friend," he said, referring how he had moved into the house beside Calum's around the end of August.

"You just moved farther from the school, it's not like you're that far, you're in the same town," I mention. If he had a friend at this school prior to this year, wouldn't they still be friends as long as Michael was still at this school?

"Er- he moved too," Michael said. Calum was confused and suspicious, but he let it go, noting the saddened look in Michael's eye. He'd had a rough time lately and Calum didn't want to make it harder. The boys made their way into the school building, going to the hall where Calum's locker was, the one Michael had stood at that first day with the group.

Calum couldn't help but think back to that day. At the time, Calum had only focused on Ashton, angry and annoyed. He hadn't noticed much of the other boys who made no effort to speak to him until later. Calum thought hard, trying to remember what the other boys were doing in that situation, easily picturing Luke's emotionless face, and Niall looking sorry. Calum thought harder, trying to remember what Michael's facial expression was when he first saw the new boy. He remembered walking towards the group, seeing a blue haired boy starring at his feet and the others all talking. Calum looked beside him to see the exact Michael from then beside him, starring at the ground sadly.

But then Calum remembered the blue haired boy giggling at the quarrel he had with Ashton. At the time, Calum was furious with the boy for finding it funny, but now, seeing what Michael had once again become, Calum would do anything to make his best friend the cheerful toddler-like Piplup from before.

Calum closed his locker loudly, turning to Michael whose head had popped up at the sound. Michael looked confused as Calum grabbed his face, smiling widely.

"Er- Cal? What's wrong with y-"

"We're leaving Michael, we're not staying here today, I have a better idea," Calum clapped excitedly, grabbing one of Michael's hands and dragging him back out of the school.

[I'm back :3 - Emily]