cryptic ⋙ calum hood

18. Cassie

Monday mornings were next to impossible for me. Waking up, getting out of bed, and getting ready to pretend I was completely fine for another five days. After much icing last night, the bruises on my face were looking a tad bit better. I covered them with tons of makeup. There were bruises on my body too, from where Parker had gripped me too tight. They weren’t as severe though, and would be covered by my clothes anyways.

I rushed to get ready and made my way downstairs to eat a banana, both of my parents surprisingly seated at the island in the kitchen together. I rolled my eyes, and sat on the stairs to eat my banana. I heard a car pull up outside and silently disposed of the peel and made my way outside, not bothering to say goodbye to my parents.

Calum’s car was outside of my house, Luke’s hair visible in the passenger seat. I slipped into the backseat and Calum was fiddling with the stereo of his car.

“Morning,” I smiled at the two boys weakly.

“Good morning, Cassie!” Calum grinned back at me and Luke waved with a smile. Once they got some music on, Calum started the car up and drove us to school. There was none of the usual banter, and they stayed quiet. I didn’t have the energy to initiate a conversation, so I stayed silent and saw Calum staring at me in the rearview mirror. When he caught my eyes, he quickly directed his gaze back to the road. We reached school shortly and Luke ran off immediately, saying he had to print something out in the school library before class. Calum nudged me, and when I looked up at him he was grinning stupidly. His smile was contagious, and soon I found myself giggling.

“Get to class, Cassie, or you’re going to be late,” he teased with another nudge.

“I don’t want to, really,” I sighed, closing my eyes briefly.

“I’m actually kind of surprised you showed up.” We had stopped walking and were only about six feet into the school.

“It’s better than being home alone.”

“Want to skip?” He grinned at me and I raised an eyebrow.

“Is Hood short for hoodlum?” I joked.

“Let’s go,” he chuckled, taking my hand and pulling me back into the fresh air.

***

Really, I’ve never skipped school like this before. Not to have fun. Not without a call to the school. Not with a boy. And not just any boy, but Calum. Amazing Calum who I kissed just three days ago. It felt like forever.

We went to the movies and watched two random ones, paying for only one ticket. Morning movies were cheaper, apparently, since no one was actually around. The theatres were practically empty. We got lunch at a nearby restaurant, and Calum insisted on paying. He drove us to the mall, where we walked around aimlessly and got frappucinos. We still had the entire afternoon. We went to a local year-round carnival. It wasn’t that big, but it would definitely do. 

I made him ride nearly everything twice, and some even three times. There were a surprising number of people, and I assumed they were all tourists. Our third time on the ferris wheel, Calum started laughing out of nowhere.

“You okay there?” I smiled at him.

“You’re just such a child,” he scrunched his nose at me. I rolled my eyes and whacked him playfully. We were sitting across from each other, but I quickly switched so I was sitting next to him before the wheel starting moving. “Hi there,” he grinned cheekily.

“I can hit you with ease now,” I bumped my shoulder into his.

“Oh, look, I can see school from here,” he joked, pointing in a random direction when the wheel started moving.