Lonely;

2

I kick a stone that is on the footpath as Calum and I talk.

"Favourite colour?" He says. I think for second before answering him.

"Don't have one. "

"Bull crap. You have too." He laughs.

"Brown."

"Brown?" He scoffs. "Come on. Be more inventive."

"That's all I use to see. Brown cows, brown fields, brown houses, brown cars, brown fences." I ramble on and he laughs.

"Okay, okay. Don't need to tell me your life story." he jokes. I punch his arm and giggle.

"Favourite animal?" He askes and we turn the corner of our street.

"Bunny. I love them so much." I say and pull my hair over my right shoulder.

"I love dogs." He smiles and we stop at my house.

"Nice house." He compliments. We walk down the old footpath with Samuel and Jamison trailing behind us. I push open the door and here the cries of Noah.

"But your bag here. I'll be back in a second." I say and rush up the stairs. Noah is in his crib crying his eyes out. I pick him up and cradle him til his cries are softened.

*Calum's POV*

I sit on the lounge and wait for Holden to come back.

"Who are you?" I hear a voice behind me. I turn around and see a tall, muscular guy standing there.

"Calum Hood." I stand up and stick my hand to him.

"Don't touch me." He says.

"Aaron go away." I hear behind me. I turn around and Holden has come back down.

"Who is he here?" Aaron says like I'm not even there. "A friend." I look to Holden and then back to Aaron. His eyebrows raise and he leans up against the lounge.

"Friend hey?" He says covering his bottom teeth with his lip, still with his eyebrows raised.

"Yes Aaron, piss off." Holden curses. He puts his hands up in surrending. He chuckles and walks off ruffling Holden's hair on the way out. She punches his back and then the baby starts crying again.

"I'm so sorry Cal. Do you mind if I bring Noah down here?" She smiles.

"That's fine. I like babies." I grin. "He's nearly one." She giggles and rushes up the stairs.

"Who are you?" I hear again from behind me. I turn around and seen an even taller guy with his arms crossed.

"Uh, Ca-Calum Hood." I stutter and stick my hand out again. His eyes move to my hand and he jst stares at it. I pull my hand back and wipe my palms on my school shorts.

"Hey Calum, Noah is starting to ta-" She stops and I whip around to see and with a little toddler in her arms at the bottom of the stairs.

"Harrison, what do you want?" She says and walks down to meet us. Noah is giggling away and clapping. I chuckle at him and then I feel Harrison's gaze on me.

"Who is this Holden?" He hisses and glares at me.

"Oh my gosh Harrison! It's a friend! Go ask Aaron he has already been through here!" She groans. Noah starts fussing and I take him. I put him on the ground and he stands up.

"Can he walk yet?" I say and up to Holden. She has her hands on her hips when she looks down at me.

"Only if you hold his hands." She sighs and I nod. He grips onto my pointer fingers and I guide him. He giggles as his feet touch the soft rug. His toes curl up and then he lets go. His eyes are firmly fixated on me. He tounge is sticking out and then I realise.

He is about to walk.

"Holden." I whisper and she ignores me.

"Holden." I say louder. "Wait Calum." She groans. My eyes widen as Noah face scrunches up in concentration.

"Holden!" I yelp and she stomps her foot.

"What Calum?" She yells and looks down to see Noah take a step to me, without any help. He eyes widen and she whips her phone out. She starts filming him walking towards me. He giggles as we encourage him and he spreads his arms out. He lands on me and I pick him up in joy.

"You did it Noah!" Holden and I say at the same time. I look over to where Harrison was standing, but he has disappeared.

"Where is Harrison?" I say and place Noah on my hip.

"The boys don't care about Noah, not even Dad." She sighes and watches as I place him back down. He crawls over to building blocks and starts grabbing them.

"Why not?" I wonder.

"They never had to. Mother was never around, so I was the lady of the house. I do all the cooking, cleaning, washing, everything." She says adn fumbles with the hem of her shorts.

"Why didn't you tell them to?" I say. She looks to me adn shrugs.

"Sorry, I'm just wondering." I say and my shoulders slump.

"No, it's fine. It's just the boys always put crap on me when I don't cook them a good enough meal, or their clothes aren't ready in time. Even though I told them when I was going to be ready and..." She trails off as she realises what she is saying.

"What happened with your mum?"

"She was always in the city since I was born. It felt like she would come home have a baby, then leave again. She didn't care for any of us. I have removed her from my birth certificate." She says and I turn to face her.

"So, legally, you don't have a mother?" I say confused. She nods and brushes through her hair with her fingers.

"Woah." Is all I can fathem. She giggles and we sit watching Noah play.

"Want a snack?" She says and stands up. I nod and she walks off into the kitchen. I sigh and lean up against the soft couch. Noah crawls over to me and I pick him up adn place him in my lap. He giggles and places his hands on my chest. He then lays his head down and his arms lay beside him. I run my hand over his hair and he exhales loudly.

"I will pay you if you can get him to sleep that fast." She says and hands me a can of lemonade and a bowl with hot chips in it. I thank her and she sits next to me. She now has her hair in a ponytail ontop of her head.

"You know, your hair really doesn't change length when you do that." I sya and point to the ponytail. She nods and laughs while throwing a chip into her mouth.

"Do Michael and Luke hate each other or something?" She says and I freeze.

"Uh, sort of why?" I stutter. She shruggs her shoulders. I nod and then finish the last of my lemonade.

"I'm gonna get going. See you at school?" I say and stand up. She nods and walks me to the door.

"Bye Calum!" She calls as I jog down the street.