underneath a thousand indigo skies | calum hood

01

Chapter One

In Which No One Apparently Has Use For Their Own Car

Bethany

Contrary to popular belief I am not uptight, I just have a plan. A very specific plan that involves me getting into an academically rigorous school with expectations and I can't do that if I am off partying. Which I've tried to explain to my best friend, Lia, but she only thinks I'm making excuses. Which is fine by me, I don't have to prove anything to her.

Lia and I have been best friends since we were little, our families were friends and thus lead to our friendship. So, if it wasn't for the fact that I was quite literally stuck with her I'm pretty sure we wouldn't even be friends. She wasn't so bad, when she wasn't trying to persuade me to try new things. She'd told me I lived in a boring brown box and I would be stuck in it forever if I didn't expand my horizons.

But if you ask me there is nothing wrong with being stuck in a brown box, and I wouldn't even say I'm stuck. I don't mind it, really. I'm not unique, or exciting and I think that's okay. It doesn't matter if I'm not interesting, I like who I am –

"Bethany" Lia whined disrupting my thoughts, now Lia, she was interesting. And it worked for her, she had purple hair and freckles and a smile for everyone. I think if we were all planets she'd be the sun, warm, and smoldering, and she'd incinerate you if you got too close. "I think I'm dying. My heart has ruptured and I have only moments." And yeah, she was a little dramatic.

"Oh, what's happened now? Did they discontinue your favorite candle?" I quipped teasingly as Lia flung herself dramatically in front of my locker, and to my annoyance blocked it from my view. I would have to put up with her silly charade if I wanted to get into my locker. Typical.

"No! Even worse than that Bethie!" Lia cried lifting the crook of her elbow up to her head so she could theatrically burry her face into it. By now I'm sure people would be looking if they didn't know who it was screeching like a pterodactyl. But we'd all gone to school with Lia since we were five and nothing really phased us anymore. "Morgan texted me! She wants me to babysit her cat!"

"What's so wrong with Morgan's cat? I thought he was like a second child to you or something?" I asked not understanding what the problem was.

"Ugh! For being so smart you're pretty dense Beth, Ashton's party is tonight." Lia's arm fell to her sides as she broke her soap opera-esque character to explain the situation to me.

"Okay, so tell her you can't do it tonight. Problem solved." I shrugged.

"Oh my god, I can't just not do it. I owe her a life debt Beth." She uttered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I didn't even want to know why she owed Morgan a life debt. Morgan was another one of my friends. She wasn't as close to me as Lia was but as far as best friends went they'd pretty much claim the titles.

"Okay, don't go to the party?" I state, but at this point it's more of a question, because I really don't know what to say to her anymore.

"Miss Ashton's party? Beth Michael's going to be there! He's practically my soulmate and he won't know it if we never have the chance to actually meet." Lia has practically been obsessed with Michael since we were in eighth grade. It was actually kind of weird, especially because Lia has never had a problem talking with anyone. She's never had a problem getting a boy to notice her but when it came to Michael she was a mess. It was like she was a completely different person. It was actually really hard to watch, if not a bit pathetic.

"Okay, first of all soulmates aren't real. Second, if they were you could still cat sit tonight and Michael will still be your soulmate tomorrow. If you haven't officially met in the past twelve years I highly doubt you will at Ashton's party." I offer cynically, I was getting irritated with Lia. She was still blocking my locker and I had to pick up my little brother from soccer practice or my mom would flip.