howl // c. hood

four

i gasped, sitting up quickly as i came to consciousness. my ears were ringing and thrumming with the sounds around me. i was in my bedroom, somehow, though i couldn't remember a thing from last night. i only remembered leaving the library, and after that, my memory seemed to be wiped clean.

my body ached for some reason, but i ignored it as i stood and staggered into the bathroom. as i looked into the mirror, i didn't look any different. just a bit paler, perhaps? maybe i was getting sick again? i shrugged to myself and turned to the shower, twisting the knob for hot water. i undressed slowly, muscles throbbing with every movement. what the hell did i do last night?

the water hit my body soothingly when i stepped in, and i let out a sound of contentment, turning my back to the water and letting it steadily hit shoulder blades and neck. i tilted my head back into the spray, and i ran my hands through it.

there was a knock at the door, and i jumped. "yeah?" i called out.

"morning, sweetie, did you need a ride to school this morning?" she asked.

thinking of my sore body, i replied, "yes, please!"

"okay, i'll be in the kitchen whenever you're ready," she said.

"thank you!" i applied and rinsed my shampoo and conditioner from my hair, stepping out of the shower and turning off the water as i grabbed a towel to dry myself off.

i went back into my room and ended up at the closet. "hmm, it's a t-shirt and jeans kind of day," i mumbled to myself, and i shuffled through my many black band t-shirts, landing on an old iron maiden tee my dad had given me before he passed away. i slipped it on along with a pair of black skinnies, shoving on my doc martens and walking downstairs with my phone in hand.

"ready to go?" my mom asked as i came into the kitchen.

i nodded, "yeah, uh, where's the ibuprofen, though?"

she pointed to a cabinet near the sink, "period cramps?"

i shook my head, "no, it just feels like i had a really, really intense workout yesterday."

"did you?" she asked.

"nope, probably pulled something in pe or while walking home," i replied. i grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen, popped a couple, and drank some water. "okay, now i'm ready."

my mom grabbed her keys, "all right, right behind you."

i led the way out to the car and clambered in, setting my bag by my feet and looked out the window. already, i could feel the ibuprofen taking effect, and i was glad i had put the bottle in my bag for when it wears off later.

the drive to school was relatively uneventful, and i was thankful for my mom offering me a ride while my body was still aching. as much as i tried to remember the previous night's events, my mind would come up blank every single time, and it was seriously stressing me out.

"i'll be working late tonight, so i can't give you a ride home," my mum said as she pulled into the school parking lot. "are you going to be okay walking?" she drove up to the front gates.

i nodded and opened up my door once she was stopped, "i'll make do, don't worry. thank you, see you later!" i stepped out of the car and waved once more to my mum before shutting it behind me and turning to enter the school's campus. i looked around me, no one sparing me a single glance, as per usual. however, i did catch four pairs of eyes trained on me from across the parking lot.

with an eye roll, i huffed and began my trek into school and to find jackson, wherever he may be. for some reason, i noticed the hallways sounded louder than they usually were. the little bits of chit chat, people squealing and shrieking, lockers slamming shut and being hit; i felt a headache quickly creep into my skull. i debated pulling out my headphones, but i spotted jackson just a little ways away and decided against it.

he was chatting with one of the football players, a teammate of calum's, when i approached him. "oh! grace, you're here early, um, this is-"

"maxwell, a pleasure to meet you," the boy grinned and stuck out his hand. i hesitated before grabbing his hand, his smile putting me off a bit.

"pleasure's all mine," i replied slowly. "uh," i turned my full attention to jackson, "i'm going to head to the library. the hallway just seems really loud today."

"you all right, lovie?" jackson asked. "want me to come with?"

i shook my head, "i'll be okay. see you in class, yeah?"

"bye, babe," he kissed my cheek. "text me if you need anything."

"nice meeting you," maxwell said.

"yeah," i nodded. "you, too." i turned in the direction of the library. as i walked, i could barely focus as to where i was stepping, the noise growing louder and louder in the hallways. maybe i just needed to stay home? could i have been getting sick? was this cancer? was i dying? i turned a corner and bumped into someone. "shit! sorry," i exclaimed, eyes looking up to meet calum hood's; however, i couldn't concentrate on keeping eye contact with him.

"we've got to stop meeting like this, babe," he grinned. and then his grin faltered, a hand being placed on my shoulder. "grace? you okay?"

"i, uh, yeah, i think i'm just getting sick," i dismissed, eyes darting about the hallways. one girl was talking about lip injections, a boy was going to ask someone out and was nervous, another girl was talking about some stupid boyband while a locker slammed next to her and she screamed.

"hey, come here," calum's hand grabbed hold of my face, angling it so he could look into my eyes. "just as i thought. i knew we should have kept you a little longer," he murmured.

my brows creased in confusion, "what?"

"you're skipping school with me, we have a lot to discuss," he replied in a gentle tone. "i've got to text the boys to meet us at the house."

"wait, what? who? what house? i can't afford to miss a day," i said rapidly.

"you wanna know why you're feeling like shit today? wanna know why you can't remember yesterday at all?" calum sighed, "it's not easy, but you're just going to have to trust me for the day. can you do that?"

i hesitated, looking around the hallways. "i-i... yeah. but how are we going to get out?"

"remember what i said? trust me."

it was too early to tell if that was either the best or the worst decision of my life.

woooooooowwwwww, it's been,,,,, years? decades? centuries? since i've updated. whoops, it'll probably happen again bc i hate myself lmao