Notes (Lashton)

10

Sunday was a fairly uneventful day. We didn't really do much besides sit around, watch TV, and eat junk food. At about seven, my dad and I left.

"Did you have fun this weekend?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I replied.

I thought back to my conversation the night before with Jack about the anonymous notes that had been left in my locker. He was almost certain that it was someone that I was close to, but who? Certainly not Calum, because he had a thing for Michael. Obviously not Michael, I was pretty sure he liked Calum. Not Ashton and definitely not Luna. It couldn't be someone close to me, because those were the only people I was close to. Who could it be?

Once I finally got home, I decided to take a shower while my mom was preparing dinner. It was nine at night, but it didn't matter.

I started the water and stripped down, giving the water a moment to heat up. When it was a suitable temperature, I stepped in. I quickly washed my hair, face, and body before shaving everything and getting out. I dried off and took my time drying my hair. I did so just to kill time, but it was also nice because it prevented me from being too harsh with my hair.

Eventually, I dressed in red and black plaid pajama pants and a big grey sweatshirt. I walked downstairs to talk to my mom.

I was greeted with the smell of steak and garlic from the pasta as I walked into the kitchen.

"How was your date?" I asked her.

She grinned.

"It was incredible. We have another one on Wednesday night." She answered. I smiled at her.

"That's good. I'm glad things are going well." I replied. She nodded.

"Me too."

She finished cooking and we got our food before sitting at the table.

We went over our weekends as we ate. I told her about mine, and she informed me that she binge watched Say Yes to the Dress and Friends all weekend.

"Do you have dance class tomorrow?" She asked me.

"Yes. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays." I responded. She nodded, probably making a mental note of it for the hundredth time.

"And you've got drill practice every day of the week?" She questioned.

"Yes, mom." I chuckled.

She looked like she was thinking hard about something for the rest of the time we were eating.

As I was helping her clean up, she sighed.

"Is everything okay?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's just... Your grandma wants us to go visit her in California soon. And your cousin isn't doing so well. She's in the hospital..." She trailed off. Immediately, I could only think of my favorite cousin. A wave of concern rushed through me, and all I could think was please don't be Lilly.

"Which one?" I blurted.

"Lillian." She replied with a frown on her face. Lillian and I had always been close. I wondered why she didn't tell me that she was in the hospital. Oh well, at least I found out somehow.

"What happened?" My voice was barely above a whisper as it cracked.

"She was hit by a truck, and she's in critical condition. I got plane tickets for you, me, and Tyler. He wanted to go. We're leaving Tuesday morning. If you don't want to go, I understand and I'm sure they will, too. You're very busy." She explained.

"I'm going." I said.

"Okay. We'll keep you home on Tuesday. We won't be getting home until Friday of next week. We'll be there for a while." She told me.

"Okay. I'll get my work from all of my teachers tomorrow." I said.

It was a good thing we weren't getting a mechanical babies until the Monday after we'd be getting back, because I was not taking that thing to California with me.

"Okay, sweetie. Try not to worry, and get some sleep. Our plane leaves at nine in the morning on Tuesday, so you'll need to pack tomorrow." She informed me, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.

I walked upstairs and curled up in bed. Thoughts of California, Lillian, and Ashton were running through my mind. I ended up in tears countless times.

The next morning was close to unbearable. I literally had to force myself out of bed, exhausted due to the lack of sleep the previous night. When I got to school, Calum was crying. Ashton, Luna, and Michael were nowhere to be seen. I immediately became suspicious that Michael had done something to him.

"Calum, what's wrong?" I questioned. He looked at me to sniffled before gently wrapping his arms around me.

"He- he..." He choked out through his near sobs.

"Calum, calm down." I softly said, sitting down on a concrete bench and gently pulling him down next to me.

"He said that he hates me, and that he hopes he never has to see me again. He said he wants me to just leave him alone, and that he's sick of me." He cried.

"Who?" I questioned.

"Mike." He coughed.

I frowned.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Calum." I stated.

He shook his head, more tears streaming down his face. I hated to see my best friend crying.

"He did. We were arguing again. I know we aren't together but it still hurts, Luke. I love him. I know I love him so much, and it hurts that he feels that way." He told me.

"He doesn't feel that way, Calum. He's probably just tired of you guys arguing, and he couldn't express that. He doesn't hate you, and he's not sick of you." I tried to calm him down.

"I don't believe that." He squeaked, tightening his grip on me.

"I'm sorry." I frowned. What else could I really say?

He cried for several more minutes.

"Luke?" He questioned.

"Yes?"

"H- he hit me." He informed me.

I looked at his face. Since he had stopped crying and the redness had decreased just a little, I notice a bright red mark on his cheek. The mark from where Michael had hit him. I felt anger rush through my body at the sight.

Before I could even think about what I was doing, I stood up. Calum looked at me with curiosity in his chocolate brown eyes, with a hint of worry.

"What are you doing?" Calum demanded. I ignored him, because I knew that he'd never want me doing what I was about to do.

I was going to find Michael.