Tally Tale 卌 [DISCONTINUED]

Seven

(Ashton's home screen ^^^)

Mali sighs as Calum curls up a little tighter, shifting toward my lap. His faded black skinny jeans seem uncomfortable but Calum doesn't comment so neither do I.

"What does the text say?" Mali asks. I slide my finger to the right of the lock screen photo of a broken heart with a safety pin holding it together, faced with a keypad.

"What's my passcode?" I ask.

"2011." Calum answers. I put in the four digits.

"Nope." I say. "Didn't work."

"What else could it be?" Mali asks Calum.

"2256." Calum answers. "Most likely in that order but those 4 digits."

I tap in the number and I'm greeted with a home screen of Calum and 3 other boys, Calum in the middle.

"Who are they?" I ask Calum.

"That's you." Calum points to the guy with his sunglasses on his nose, staring in the camera as if he were a principal suspecting a bad child. "That's me, that's Luke and Mike. They were our best friends."

"What happened to them?" I ask, noticing the past tense he used.

(I am sorry if that just saddened you deeply I'm so sorry)

"They...uhm." Calum pauses. "Michael's currently in the hospital."

"Is he okay?" I ask worriedly. Calum sighs, rubbing his eyes and mumbling something under his breath.

"He's fine. I think. I hope." Calum says unsurely.

"And Luke is the one that just texted me?" I guess. Calum nods, grabbing my phone from me hands. He gently tosses it to Mali who taps on the screen and scrolls.

"Jesus Christ." Mali mutters, her brown eyes scanning the screen that aluminates her face. "The guy doesn't like you very much, Ash."

"What was the text?" Calum questions.

"'I hate you Ashton. You tore my life apart, you betrayed me. I hate you so much and I'm the happiest man on earth that you woke up in your own blood. You're a disgrace to this world...'" Mali reads swallowing as she looks to me to finish narrating Luke's text. "'And you deserve to die.'"

(Luke. Too far.)

A few moments of tense silence fill the air.

"Luke's a bitch." Calum mutters. "Why the fuck were we friends with him?"

"Ash?" Mali says softly. "It's almost midnight. I think you should go to bed."

"Can I cuddle with you while you sleep?" Calum asks with puppy eyes. I chuckle and nod, motioning him to follow me. I climb under the golden duvet cover, Calum turning on the nightlight in the corner and following me after.

"Why did you turn on the light?" I ask.

"You're scared of the dark." Calum replies. I hum and turn away from him, facing the white door in the corner of the beige-gold painted wall as Calum hugs my back.

"I missed this so much." He mumbles into my hair. I don't reply, as I know of no response. I close my eyes, allowing my thoughts free. My brain buzzes, forcing my eyes to snap open immediately.

I hate you...

Happiest man on earth you woke up in your own blood...

You're a disgrace...

You deserve to die...

My heart drops. I shift my weight on the mattress.

Die.

There's something wrong. There's something bad about that word.

You deserve to die.

To die

I deserve to die

I want...

No. I don't want.

I should've died.

"Guitarist Michael Clifford from the band 5 Seconds of Summer stays in critical care after-"

"Mali, turn it down!" Calum yells, hearing the TV as well.

Calum then shifts to whisper in my ear. "You should be so glad you don't remember, Ash. I wish I could wake up with amnesia too."

"What was so bad about it?" I whisper back.

"Everything." Calum responds. "Just don't try to think about it."

"I can't. I'm not tired at all."

"What would help you sleep?"

Music. Singing. The two words pop into my brain immediately.

"Could you sing to me, Cal?" I ask quietly. Calum shifts to be closer to my ear as he begins singing quietly in a low soothing voice.

Another day of painted wall and football on the TV

No one sees me

Fade away. Lost inside a memory of someone's life that wasn't mine

I was already missing before the night I left. Just me and my shadow and all of my regrets

Who am I? Who am I? When I don't know myself. Who am I? Who am I?

Invisible.

I sigh as sleep washes over me at last.

X•X•X•X

If you noticed how little detail the chapters have compared to the first one

I'm sorry. I blame my laziness.

I will try to fix it before the next chapter goes up.