Silence » a.i

0.9

The next morning after getting ready, I walked out of the house and down the front steps like I usually did. The only difference was that I accidentally almost stepped on someone sitting on the sidewalk.

"Shit, sorry," I cussed, and then remembered I probably shouldn't have said that. "Uh, sorry."

"It's alright," Calum laughed from below me. He pushed himself off the ground and dusted off his black skinny jeans. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. "Are you always this clumsy in the morning?"

"Only when stupid guys are sitting in my way," I shot back, but smiled at him as we continued walking. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"I have to walk passed here to get to school anyway, so I figured why not?" he shrugged.

"Do you even have any other friends?" I asked jokingly.

"No," he answered smoothly. "I'm always perfecting spells or out with one of the boys. Everyone just thinks I'm some weird recluse."

"They're half right." I pointed out.

He laughed and nodded. "That they are."

-

Lunch rolled around and I stood in line like I always did. I got my pizza with cheap tomato sauce, and tasteless french fries before grabbing a chocolate milk and purchasing my lunch. I grabbed a few napkins and went to walk to my next class where I usually ate lunch.

"Bridgette," someone said from behind me. I turned and saw Calum smiling down at me. "You can come sit with me if you want."

I smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

He led me over to his table towards the corner of the lunchroom. He sat by himself, not eating any food. He always had his notebook out. I found out he was actually writing Latin, but it was spells he was trying to memorize or improve on.

As I dabbed at the extra grease pooling on my pizza with a napkin, I glanced around the lunchroom. "You do realize practically everyone is staring at us, right?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "Its probably because I always sit alone and never talk to anyone. You'll probably get used to it."

"But they're whispering to each other."

Calum mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't make out before he put his pen down and looked at me curiously. "Then let's leave."

"W-what?"

"Let's just leave." he repeated, getting up and putting his notebook in his bag.

I looked up at him in shock. "Like...ditch school?"

"Duh," he chuckled, slinging his bag on one shoulder. "What, have you never ditched before?"

I shook my head.

"Well, you're going to start to if you're going to be hanging around us," he said, taking my pizza and dropping it on some other person's table. "I'll buy you some real pizza."

Calum lifted my bag off the ground for me, waiting for me to stand and take it. When I did, he took my hand and weaved me through the tables and out of the cafeteria, practically dragging me since he was trying to sprint out of there. We exited the Main Building and walked straight off campus without anyone saying anything.  He finally slowed down after we were off of the campus.

"How did no one even say anything to us?" I wondered.

"While you were too busy caring about what other people thought," he began in an annoyed sort of tone. "I was looking for my invisibility spell. The one I've been using wears off quickly, though, which is why we had to run. I planned to ditch with you either way. But I'm still trying to perfect that one spell to make it longer..."