"It's Not Love If It Hurts" //5sos

/175/

  The Hood family was pretty dang fine, to be honest. Joy and David Hood, Calum's parents, were looking just fine for their age, all smiles and holiday spirit. Mali was excited to be at the Christmas party, and had even worn a nice new strappy black dress for the occaaion, a Santa hat slightly askew on her head. And of course, Calum. Joy and David loved their children equally, but they were especially proud of Calum. That night, he did not disappoint, wearing a black button down shirt tucked into black pants, with a black belt and black shoes. He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and looked absolutely stunning as their family entered the Hemmings' Christmas party.

  If only he felt great.

  The fight with Michael made him feel- well, he didn't really know. He hated being mad at his long time best friend, but he also was upset at him for the way he acted. Michael was actually a pretty sweet person, once you got past the punk attitude, but he knew nothing of boundaries. He didn't know what no was. In his mind, he needed to do what he needed to get what he wanted, and most times, he didn't stop to think about other people's needs. He was selfish, to say the least. He wasn't arrogent or self obsessed- just sometimes, well, forgettful.

  Calum tried to rationalize his actions as he walked through the people, trying to find Ashton or Luke. The Christmas party was just the boys families, which Calum appreciated, because otherwise someone would ask for his autograph. It was annoying, but it was true.

  He saw Harry, Ashton's little brother, over by the snack table, with a handful of chips. Next to him, Michael's parents were having a semi heated discussion. Over by the dining room table, Mali had already found Ben, Luke's oldest brother, and was chatting him up. If Calum remembered correctly, Mali was super excited when she heard that Ben was going to be a father. Mali and Ben were friends, not very close, but they saw each other whenever they band families had get togethers, and they seemed to get along well.

  Liz and Mama Irwin were talking by the Christmas tree, and Calum snorted when he saw his mum make a beeline for them.

  Calum froze, hearing a low wolf whistle behind him. "Look at that fine piece of ass."

  "Ashton, shut up." He tried to keep from grinning as he turned around, but as soon as he saw Ashton, he gave up. Ash had such a genuine, happy smile, that no matter how hard you tried you couldn't look at him and not feel good. Honestly, he was probably some sort of scientific expiriment gone horribly, horribly right.

  Ashton grinned, giving Calum a big man-hug, patting him on the back appreciatively. "Who are you dressing up for? You didn't even wear clothes that nice for the VMA's!"

  Calum chuckled, sliding a hand in his pocket. "Mum. She wanted us to look hot so she could take the Christmas picture."

  "Right, right. It's okay. I know who you're really dressing for." Calum gave him a questioning look, and Ashton wiggled his eyebrows, making him laugh. "Tell you what. How about you go sit over there, on one of the couches, I don't care, and I'll get us both beers. Then you can tell me what's wrong."

  That was Ashton. Calum hadn't said anything about being upset, and had even been smiling, but Ash saw right through that.

  He made his way over to a couch and sat down with a sigh, admiring the living room. Liz really kept it pristine.

  Someone sat next to him, making him look over. "Hey Cal," she said sweetly.

  "Hey Lauren. You look nice." He frankly didn't really care, but it wasn't a lie. Lauren was wearing a cute Christmas dress, and maybe even a little makeup. Her hair was curled, and to be completely honest, she did look nice. But to Calum, it was more of a formality.