Double Or Nothing // C.T.H

22 ~ Thomas

"Well, go on then." Niall breaks my silent stare at the gloomy house outside of my window.

I gulp. "I'm going to go and check things out, then I'll come tell you if you two can go." I say, opening the door to be met by a harsh chill.

I slowly shuffle to the door, my heart racing. Oh how much trouble I'll be in if they are home, please don't let hem be home.

The door creaks as I open it and I freeze, peering inside.

"Thomas?" Mali-Koa asks, her voice soothing my rapid heart to a regular beat.

I let out a breath. "So mom and dad aren't home?"

She shakes her head and I give Liam and Niall a thumbs up, telling them everything's alright and that can go back to school.

"Calum's in his room." Mali states, giving me an answer to the question I haven't even asked yet.

I rush up the stairs, swinging open the door to find...Valerie.

It was quite an unexpected sight. Valerie was sat on his bed, her back against the wall and Calum's head was on her crossed legs, his own legs falling over the side of the bed slightly.

Valerie glanced up at me, giving me a small smile before looking back down at Calum with such wonder in her eyes. Her fingers were moving loosely through his darkened curls, so dark they seemed almost damp.

Calum was asleep, his cheeks pale, but tinted red and lips a faint blue.

"What happened?" I whisper, sitting on the edge of the bed, my eyes wondering why Calum looked so sickly.

Valerie's lips pull into a thin line and removes her eyes from Calum's face.

"Seth and Reagan." She says, her jaw stiff and eyes ablaze with anger. "They locked in in the shower, and of course they had to drench in cold water, as if it wasn't cold enough." She huffs anger seeping from her body.

"I don't know how long he was in there, but I found him and brought him here. He looked dreadful." She glanced back down to him, brushing the hair off his forehead.

"Do they not think? How long where they going to keep him there? He could have died, they could have killed him." She exclaims, her voice still hushed so Calum wouldn't wake, however her words were just as cold as Calum must have felt.

An indescribable amount of guilt spread down from my head to my toes. I can feel my face pale as I look between her and Calum.

"I- I'm sorry." I whisper, slowly standing off the bed.

Valerie looks up at me. "Thomas, it's not your fault, how could have been your fault?"

"Because it was supposed to be me! I knew this was a terrible idea, but I still went with it." I say, as Valerie slowly picks up Calum's head a moved it on a pillow.

"It wasn't supposed to be anyone, Thomas. They shouldn't have done it in the first place, it didn't make my feel any different when I thought it was you lying on the floor shaking a soaked. I was still just as worried as I was for him, Thomas." She say, stepping off the bed to match my stature.

"It was so selfish of me." I pause, casing my gaze back onto Calum. My lip quivers. "I knew what he would have to go through, I should have just said no."

"But you have took through the torment everyday! It will do him some good to know what it's like!" She throws her hands up slightly.

I shake my head. "He knows what it's like." My voice quiet. "He goes through much worse."

I blink looking back to Valerie. She looked lost, confused. "That still doesn't make any of this your fault."

I squeeze my eyes shut. "You just don't get it." My voice now raised.

"Then help me understand." She says softly, her eyes dark wit concern.

"It's my turn." I say simply. "It's my turn to be the strong one." I whisper to myself.

Calum can't take all this, I know he can't. It's my turn to build the walls and barricades.

"Thomas," Calum's groggy voice broke the heave silence that filled the room. It felt hard to breath.

But before he could say anything the door flung open. Mali's frantic face appeared, squealing a distraught "They're home." Before rushing back downstairs.

My heart seemed to stop but speed up at the same time, my mouth going dry and my legs suddenly feel as if they were made of jello.

My eyes lock with Calum's, and he looked just as scared as I felt.

"Valerie." He whispers hopping off the bed with a little wobble.

I could hear the faint voice of Mali greeting my parents, asking about the meeting.

"What's wrong?." Valerie whispers as Calum and I frantically look around the room for a place to hide.

"The roof." I say. "Valerie, get on the roof." I say, pushing her toward the window.

"Why-"

"Just go!" Calum whisper-yells, opening the window with a heave grunt.

She gives us both a weary glance before stepping up onto the window and lifting herself into the roof.

Dad's gruff voice floated up the stairs, follows by heavy foot steps.

"I can't lift myself." Calum's says panicked, his body was shaking, his eyes looking weak yet frightened.

I grab is forearm and help him onto the window, before using all the strength in me to push him up far enough to where his leg could wrap up into the edge of the roof.

Assuming Valerie helped pull him up, I step onto the window, my heart thumping in my ears.

"What the hell are you doing,Calum."

I freeze, hearing Calum curse from above me.

I slowly turn around, my body shaking as I'm met with the angry face of my father.

"Why aren't you in school? Does my fuck up son not get that I mean what I say?" My dad steps toward me slightly.

A unusual serge of adrenaline rushes though my blood. I suddenly felt unafraid.

"Actually." I say, "the only fuck up here, is you."

His eyes widen and his fists clench. "What did you just call me, Calum?"

"Wait, wait." I pause, giving him a cryptic look. "Did you just call me Calum?"

"I thought you'd be smart enough to notice by now, Dad." I say, his face red and breath ragged with anger. In one swift motion I grab a cup of water left on Calum's desk and pour it over my head, grabbing my real glasses and slipping them on, fixing my half blurred vision.

With seeing dripping tattoos and glasses my Dad's face changes from confused to even more anger.

He jumps forward, his fist connecting with my cheek, snapping my head to the side.

Tears spring up in my eyes, but a laugh escapes my mouth.

"Now that." I pause, spitting out the blood that poured into my mouth from my bit tongue.

"That was a big mistake."

-

A|N

I really hate this chapter.
What do you guys think of this ending?

Any questions?

Love you all to pieces!!