One Shots

Haircut [Malum One Shot]

Insults. A quite common thing to find at school.

Bullying. Also a common thing found at school.

"Nice hair fag!!" A nearby stranger says to the now bald Calum Hood. He ignores the stranger's rude comment but his face immediately scrunches up when the boy pushes him roughly into a locker. "Answer me faggot!!" Calum's eyes are pleading for forgiveness, but he doesn't utter a word. The boy speaks with his eyes. Just like I do. All the other students have gathered throughout the halls to watch, but no one has made an effort to stop the bully...including me. I stare at him as the older guy shoves Calum repeatedly against the lockers while other kids yell, laugh, and chant. I stand there too, but with a worried look hoping that someone will step up. I want to. Believe me I do. But I'm too scared.

"HEY!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??!" A feminine voice calls from the crowed. She steps forward, her dark brown waves of hair flowing below her snapback hat. She wore basketball shorts, sneakers, and a black hoodie unlike most girls here. She resembled Calum some...

"Sorry," the bully mumbled, dropping Calum to the floor, "Just dealing with your fag brother." Oh. That's why.

The girl- well, Calum's sister waved her hands for everyone to go home and they listened. I can't believe he actually thinks liking a guy is wrong. I ducked by behind a trashcan once the halls cleared because I was officially curious about the boy with the haircut.

The girl then spoke up in an aggravated tone,"He's my brother. I'll deal with him myself. I don't need your help."

"Whatever Mali," the bully said walking towards the exit of our school. "I caught him writing some love note about...Michael? It was pathetic." Then the guy left.

Um...my name is Michael.

Calum was now on the floor, tears brimmed in his eyes. But Mali just looked at him. "C'mon you know better. Now you know what you have to do."

She dragged him down the hallway of our school, and I followed closely behind- ducking into a few trashcans here and there. The whole time Mali had a stone cold look on her face, showing no clear signs of emotion for the situation at hand. Yet, she seemed to know what she was doing. Calum on the other hand....he looked torn, his head hung low and his breaths were uneven.

When they'd reached the end they both went into the boys bathroom. I caught the door after they went in to avoid noise. I saw them both at the sink and hid instead the stall closest.

Calum was facing the mirror, staring horridly at his reflection. Mali was behind him.

"This is what happens when you screw me over," she said in a sharp tone. Her words made Calum and I both flinch. She quickly hit over his arm. Calum whined,

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ruin things between them!"

Them?

Mali let out a frustrated groan. She took out a small, shiny metal object from her pocket and lifted it up to Calum in the mirror.

"Do it."

I didn't know what it was, but whatever it was made Calum burst into tears.
"No! Please!! I don't mean to split them! I'm sorry! Just- please don't make me do it!" Calum was begging, but her face remained the same, blank and emotionless.

"Do it...or I will," She demanded. Calum squirmed a little, but he did as told. He took the small metal into his hands...he slid it slowly and shakily across his skin. He went across his arms with it as small beads of red formed alone his path. Mali stared at him,"this is what you deserve. For hurting us. For hurting our family. For destroying our lives."

My words were caught in my throat. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to save him. What was she doing to him?

"DO IT!" She screamed out. She gripped his shirt harshly and threw him to the floor. He groaned out in pain. She went over to him, tugging at his arm, and moved the blade across him herself. Before he'd even attempted to look up at her, he turned my way. He met me straight in the eye and I felt my lip quiver. What kind of person am I just letting an innocent boy get bullied, beat up, and abused by his own sister?

Maybe it was him. Maybe it was the boy's soft brown eyes or his small whimpers as Mali was carving into his flesh. Just as the smell of blood became present in the room, I leaped up, "HEY!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!"

Mali looks up at me, amused, "Dealing with my brother's behavior now beat it." I looked over at Calum. Although he was crying, his eyes were telling me something.

it's ok, just go. i'll be ok.

But I shook my head at him. "You can't let her keep doing this to you," I faced back to Mali feeling pissed, "and you shouldn't fucking harm your brother."

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!!" She screamed. I kept my poker face and she kept hers. But I knew something that would help them both.

"Mali...it's not Calum's faul-"

"Yes it is," she stated while her grip on Calum's arm tightened. I felt bad for her.

"Ok, fine. It is," I agreed.

Mali smirked while Calum looked at me like I had 1,523 toes on my head. It only took till Mali's reaction for Calum to realize what's going on. She walks over to me and stops a few feet in front. As I begin to feel her minty breath closing in I whisper,

"then why?"

"Why are you hurting him? What could he have done that was so bad? Why exactly does his deserve this kind of punishment? Hasn't it been enough?" I saw Calum relax, but Mali was still the same. "He doesn't . He's served whatever.. 'sentence' you think he deserves now let him go."

Her fake punk act finally fell through and out came the real Mali. The one who wouldn't hurt his brother and had feelings. But just to make sure she got the message, I leaned into her ear,"He was just a baby. It wasn't his fault."

She's puzzled so she looks me in the eye, as if to find an answer. "You won't find an answer. At least not within me." I lightly tapped her shoulder before she rushed out of the bathrooms with a single tear falling down her eye.

I watch her leave. The second she does I crouch by Calum's side as he embraces me into a hug. He lets tears fall, but he doesn't full on cry. "Can you just hold me?" He says silently. I say nothing but I pull him into my lap and cradle him, his head on my chest. I didn't want to address his past predicament. I looked at his arms blankly and picked them up, gently brought them to my lips, and planted a kiss on every spot and every mark.

"t-thank you," Calum mumbled. I wasn't sure if I should do it, but I kissed his forehead and told him, "it's ok now. I'm here now, ok?" he nodded.

"you know...she cut my hair," he commented. I chuckled, "ya don't say?" I noticed Calum had a small, almost invisible smile on his tear stained face. I kissed his cheek lightly.

"I really like your haircut."