Last Dance || 5sos

Chapter Thirty Seven

I stare at the note in my hand for who knows how long. I must have been gone a long time, though, because when my phone started ringing and I saw that it was Hunter, I know that he must have gotten concerned. I answer it as quickly as possible. "Hello?"

"Noelle, are you alright? You've been gone for almost twenty minutes. We're starting to think you ditched." I sigh. 

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm coming back right now. I'll see you in a minute," I say while folding the note neatly this time, sliding it into my pocket and exiting the bathroom.

"More like a second," Hunter says, and he's not kidding. As I push the door open, he's standing outside in the hall way. At first he startles me, but then I let out a small laugh when he smiles at me. "I asked if I could be excused so that I could come check on you," he explains. I smile, touched by this revelation. 

"Aw, that's so sweet. Thanks, Hunter," I say. Then, out of nowhere, I hug him. I'm not too sure why, but he doesn't ask. He just hugs me back. 

"You're welcome," he smiles, letting me go. "Come on, before he thinks we've both ditched." I giggle, walking back to class with Hunter. As we walk back to class, I reach inside my back pocket until my fingers grazed the paper, just to reassure myself that the note was still there. I bite down on my lower lip, contemplating the note and all of the sticky notes over again in my head. He loves me... He loves me. I love him. I love him.

If I go to Calum's house this afternoon, and I forgive him, will he hurt me again? If I don't go, will I ever have any kind of relationship with him again? It makes me so angry, his past, and his reputation. But his present, the way he looks at me, the feeling I get from simply touching him... Do I want to give that up? And if I do, then what was the point of anything? My whole relationship with Ashton was put in jeopardy because of Luke. Michael ruined his relationship with Sadie because he was trying to prove a point to Luke. Then again, if it weren't for Luke, I would have never have met Hunter. I would have never had gone to parties, and I would have been all alone on the night of homecoming. As much as I hate him, I love him. We were built to fall apart, and fall back together. 

After school, I get into the car with Sadie. She's still acting clueless, but I know she had a part in this. "So, are we going home?" she asks. That confirms it. She wouldn't ask unless she knew that I could have wanted to go to Calum's house.

"Actually," I start. She looks over at me, starting her car. "I think I want to go to a friend's house."

"Okay," she says. "Got an address?" I type it into Sadie's GPS and soon enough we're off. As Sadie drives, I open my back pack, reaching inside to clutch the soft fabric. I pull it out, and sigh softly to myself. It's Luke's beanie, that he gave me. Even if I hate him, I love beanies, and this one that he gave me was special. This is the beanie that he had given me when we first kissed. I couldn't part with it after that. 

When we pull into Calum's driveway, I take a deep breath before stepping out of the car. It's cold out, so I zip up my jacket. "What about your bag?" Sadie called after me.

"Oh, uh, can you just take it home? I won't need it," I say. She nods.

"Alright. Let me know if I need to pick you up," she tells me before leaving. I take my time walking up to the front door of the house. I've never actually been here, and it seems a little odd to me that the first time I would come wasn't actually to see Calum. When I step up to the door, no surprise, there is yet one final, -or at least I think it's the final- sticky note. Come in, door is open. Slowly I take a deep breath, reaching for the handle. It clicks as my hand turns it, and I push the heavy weight of it forward, entering.