Trust

Oh, its one of THOSE things.

{Michael}

"What?" she snapped at me which caused me to jump a little and stop looking at her like she'd just grown a second head. "He smells, do you ever give him a bath?"

I studdered, shocked that she was speaking this way, or speaking in general, "well yeah but when it's cold out its ha--"

"So no then?"

I shut my mouth not knowing how to react or what to say to her at all. She rolled her eyes, taking care to walk around where Roscoe was sitting, and walked to the laundry room.

"When will my clothes be done?" She yelled over her shoulder, peering into the washing machine.

I stood up from the couch where I was still kneeling, "I don't really know, I just put them in."

She hopped up on the washing machine clicking her tongue. "Well could you at least turn the heat on? Its, what, 2 degrees in here?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, "I'm confused...are you oka--."

"What's up with your hair exactly?"

I paused. She was throwing too many curve balls to keep the topic off of her and what happened last night and I knew it.

I shrugged, "just a thing I do I guess." I leaned my hands back on the kitchen counter trying to figure out what I was going to do with this crazy girl sitting on my washing machine.

"A thing?" She made a humming noise before looking away again.

"You live here by yourself?" She tucked her legs under her when Roscoe came in, looking up at her as the washing machine continued to hum, cleaning her dirty jeans and sweater.

"Yeah I moved in about a year ago."

"Hm," she clicked her tongue again before looking around again. "Well," she wrinkled her nose at Roscoe sitting beneath her, waiting for a pat on the head. She hopped down from the washing machine, "its cleaner than your dog."

She walked brushed past me, lightly bumping my shoulder while walking into the kitchen looking through the cabinets, "where do you keep your cups?"

"Amanda.."

"My name isn't Amanda."

"I figured it wasn't but I-"

She snapped her fingers, "cups, where do you keep your cups?"

I reached in the cabinet buy her head and handed her a glass which she filled up in the tap.

"I'll leave after my clothes are clean." She took a drink, watching me over the rim of the glass.

"And go where?"

"Wherever I feel like it?"

"River banks?"

Her eyes narrowed, "you're an asshole. You literally don't know anything."

"So you weren't trying to kill yourself after midnight in the river?"

"Even if I was it's none of your business," she rolled her eyes and mumbled, "you're like Mr. Incredible, saving people who didn't want to be saved."

"Who?"

She rolled her eyes again, "nothing, just drop it." She walked back over to the couch giving her attention back to the weather channel.

What now?

My phone vibrated again; a text from Cal, *I'll just come over now*

My eyes cut over to Amanda sitting on the couch, tucking her feet under herself again, shaking a pillow from the couch at Roscoe who'd followed her over to get him to go away

*not now Cal later*

*too late*

Roscoe started barking at the sound of the doorbell ringing.

Shit.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "Who's that, where you expecting somebody?" Suddenly she looked so small, just like she was last night sitting in the booth at Ihop. She began to fidget, twisting her fingers in her lap then tugging at the bottom of the boxers to pull them down longer. She began to stand up, "were you?" Her voice urgent, "Were you expecting somebody?"

"Yeah, just a friend of mine," I took a step towards her, "its cool, he's cool." Her eyes flickered an emotion so quick I couldn't read it before settling back into her previous position on the couch. "Whatever," she said, going back to her previous demeanor.

I went over to open the door for Calum who kept ringing the bell making Roscoe go crazy.

"I heard you the first time you rang it," I said, yanking the door open. I was annoyed, he did this every time and he knew it drove me insane.

"Yeah well, you took too long to answer it." I kept blocking the doorway with my body.

"What'd you come over for? I didn't tell you to come over I just said I needed help."

He took a step forward, "are you gonna let me in or what, come on move. What'd you need help with and since when do you turn down beer?"

He tried pushing forward to get in. "Cal, now isn't a good time, when I said I needed help I didn't mean come over now."

He looked over my shoulder and saw Amanda sitting on the couch, "oh." His eyes lit up, taking in the sight of her in my boxers and t-shirt. He dropped his voice down lower, "It's one of THOSE things."

"No its not one of THOSE things, its just a thing I can't explain."

"What you can't get her to leave or something and you need me to get rid of her? I can do that, I told you do make them leave before they get comfortable for the night."

Idiot, he talks a big game but if his girlfriend El knew he was talking this way she'd smack him on the back of the head, as if Cal was sleeping around.

"Piss off, its not like that either, its hard to explain she's just--"

"I know you're talking about me, you can stop whispering over there." She cut in, her eyes never leaving the television screen. Cal raised an eyebrow at me before pushing his way in and walking over to the couch.

"Calum," he stretched his hand out and she cut her eyes to the left, looking at his hand, completely emotionless, before turning her attention back to the television.

I walked over, "Amanda," she cringed at the sound of her "name". "this is Calum, Cal this is Amanda." I gave him a look, a 'please don't push it' look. He gave me a look back that I couldn't quite read but I knew it wasn't good.

"Well nice to meet you Amanda."

She gave him another side glance, "pleasure."

He smiled to himself and I knew exactly what he was about to do. I gave him the look again and mouthed the word 'don't', but of course he did anyway.

"So Mandy," he said, settling onto the couch next to her, throwing his arm across the back, flipping me off in the process, "you like beer?"

I should've texted Luke or Ashton.