Change // c.h.

chapter 02

I need to get out.  Get away from the memories of Calum.  Because good or bad, they'll make me feel...guilty.

After three years, I feel guilty.  As if, given the chance to go back in time, I would go and change everything. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still upset that he ended our friendship.  That he insisted on something more or nothing at all.  That we couldn’t talk it out or compromise or something. 

But I miss what we had, the best friendship, the memories.  We just…clicked.  We were perfect friends for each other.  And I miss that.

I grab my jacket and phone, slip on my shoes – my favorite Converse – and open the front door, heading outside for a walk.  Walking helps me sort out my thoughts and clear my brain. 

Thinking back to what Calum said, I shake my head.  “I’m going to see her again, someday, somehow.”  How is he so sure?  He doesn’t even know where I live.  For all he knows, I’m in America with my parents.  Not in Sydney, which, coincidentally, is the same city that 5 Seconds of Summer’s interview was in.  But Sydney’s a big city.  There’s no way I’ll ever run into him. 

I decide to risk it and go walk downtown.  The chances of me meeting up with them are so miniscule, anyway.  It’s a bit of a long walk, but I have plenty of time and nothing to do.

As I walk, I take in the scenery.  I love busy cities, even though I’ve lived around Sydney my whole life and downtown Sydney is the only “big city experience” I’ve ever had.  It’s loud, bustling, and full of life, but I like it.

I decide to stop in a coffee shop – not Starbucks! – to grab a quick drink before I continue with my walk.  I order some tea lemonade thing and take it to a table in the corner, just scrolling through Twitter and Facebook notifications.  Mostly about the 5SOS interview and how they wish they could meet them – I have a lot of friends who are fans.  I would be a fan, too, if it wasn’t for Calum.

I finish my drink and head back out into downtown Sydney.  I don’t feel the need to hurry around like everyone else around me; instead, I take a nice, leisurely stroll, enjoying the sights.  Although this walk started as a way to clear my mind of Calum, now I’m having a lovely time and don’t want any thoughts of him to taint that.

After about an hour of walking around, looking in store windows, sightseeing, and going to the park, I decide to find a bus to take me home.  I walk down the sidewalk, trying to find a bus stop. 

In order to get to the closest one, I need to cross a busy street.  I stand at the corner, hair blowing in the wind, waiting for traffic to clear so I can cross.

I hear someone come up behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to get a quick peek at them.  It’s a guy, and he’s tall and wearing black skinny jeans and a hoodie.  The hood is pulled over his face, but not as much so that I can’t see his features.

I turn back around to check the traffic signal, then do a double take behind me.  Those eyes look so familiar, and so do the unkempt locks of hair that the hood doesn’t cover.  So familiar.  

“Calum?” I whisper.