Boy Of The Forest [Malum]

Chapter 10

        "I'm sorry, Calum..."

        The words echoed in Michael's mind for the next two days. He hadn't left his house, or made any kind of contact with his friends. He sat in his room and looked out at the forest day after day, hoping to catch a glimpse of Calum. Michael only saw birds and squirrels come from the forest. 

        Every time Michael fell asleep he'd wake up in the same place as the day before. Hanging most of the way out of his chair still looking out the window. It was like how just days ago, Calum came back and moved Michael from the living room to his room. No. Now there was no one to move Michael after days was watching the forest. 

        Even Ollie had given up on trying to make Michael come and play with him. The dog just made his way outside and sat next to the forest line. Himself praying that Calum would come back, to cheer up Michael. 

        Both Michael and his lonely dog companion were giving up hope of ever seeing Calum again.

        Many hours later Michael's old friends Ashton and Luke came for a visit. Confused as ever at their friends sad expression. Deciding -even against their friends will; that they were going to get Michael out of his house. They just figured that Calum had gone home after seeing his family and now that Michael just needed to get out of the house for once. 

        "I said that I didn't want to leave my house." Michael muttered sitting in the back seat of Ashton's car with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked out the window annoyed with not just his friends, but the world. He was annoyed with the world because it caused his fight with Calum, it caused him and Calum to meet; Michael believes that he could have lived his life fully without ever having met Calum. His mind might be telling him that, but his heart is arguing another thing.

        Ashton sighed looking at him through the mirror, "Michael, just because your dad isn't able to come back for a couple more weeks doesn't mean you have to act like you got your balls cut off." That was another thing that Michael was annoyed about, his father wasn't going to be coming home for a couple more weeks. No matter how much Michael didn't like his father at times, he still liked the company.

        "That's not why, but whatever." Michael rolled his eyes ignoring his friends for the rest of the car ride to wherever they were going. Some days Michael thought that his friends were going to kill him, because every time they pulled him away from his house, it was always to do something crazy. 

        This time, like all of the other times; was so different what-so-ever.

        Today Luke and Ashton, or Lashton as Michael liked to call them some days. Even with both being completely straight and Michael was pretty sure that Luke still had a girlfriend, but that would be his third that month, so he could be wrong. But today, the two thought that dragging Michael to the local Go-Cart track was the best choose of action. Even with Michael loving this old place because the three had been coming here since they were around the age of 8, he still wasn't completely thrilled. 

        "Come on, Michael. Have fun." Luke says throwing the other boy a helmet.

        Rolling his eyes wordlessly Michael pulled on the helmet, deciding that he should at least try to get out of this slump he was in.

        Once it was dark the trio thought that it would be smart to go back home. Ashton and Luke were happy with themselves and Michael, because about an hour into their day he came out of his slump which made the other boys smile. Well they thought that he was out of his slump. The long but short car trip back to Michael's wasn't off to a great start.

Wait on me
I know how to love you
And I wanna love you some more
Wait on me
Come a little closer
Wanna be the one to explore
A little trouble never hurt nobody
Ooh I wanna feel your body
Wait on me
I know how to love you
And I wanna love you some more

        "Ash change it please." Michael groaned feeling a pang of guilt and regret build up in his chest.

        "Why? This song is great!" Luke asked as Ashton was trying to drive down the highway.

        "Just fucking change it will you?!" Luke gasped at Ashton's sudden stop after Michael snapped at them. Michael on the other hand already had his hand in his hands trying to hold back his tears. He couldn't take it.

        Pulling off to the side of the highway, Ashton and Luke both turned to look at Michael. "What in the hell Michael?! You about gave me a heart attack snapping at us like that!" Ashton snapped back at Michael not paying attention to how Michael was slouched over with tears streaming down his face. 

        "I'm so stupid. I'm so fucking stupid." Michael confessed continually. Luke and Ashton looked at the boy in confusion, waiting to see if he was going to continue these actions. 

        "Michael... What's wrong?" Ashton quietly asked the boy.

        "Everything. Every things wrong." Michael soon started to sob, saying that he just wanted to go home and be alone. And well that's what they did; they took Michael home who ran inside and locked the door before his friends could follow him to see if he was alright. 

        And the boy wasn't alright. Completely ignoring his dog companion Michael raced to his room and flung himself on his bed. Sobbing and saying things to himself, Michael started to feel like a completely worthless person.

        As Ollie looked at his owner, he knew that this wasn't a good thing. Loving Michael, Ollie knew that he must find the thing that would bring Michael back to normal. Calum. Ollie raced from his masters bed room and out the back door, charging through the forest following the scents of Calum that he knew.